Court to hear ESPN's appeal of Notre Dame records ruling

INDIANAPOLIS -- A lawsuit filed by ESPN seeking records from the University of Notre Dame police department is going before a state appeals court in Indiana.

ESPN is seeking records about possible on-campus crimes that may have involved student athletes. ESPN's attorneys are expected to argue Wednesday that police departments with the power of arrest, including Notre Dame's, should be subject to public scrutiny.

St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Steven Hostetler ruled last year that the Indiana Legislature doesn't require private colleges and universities to comply with the state's open records law. But he agreed there were "persuasive reasons" why lawmakers should change the law.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has submitted a friend-of-the-court brief saying he believes Notre Dame's police department should be subject to the state's open records law.