Good news for public records advocates: California SB 1015, which would close the financial portion of a marriage dissolution court case and redact all personal identifiers has been withdrawn. The bill met with strong opposition. Women’s rights groups lobbied against it, which, in an election year may explain everything. Read the Sacramento Bee update

Just to remind you, here’s the opening text from SB 1015.

Existing law permits a party to request that documents listing or identifying the parties’ assets and liabilities be sealed in specified family law proceedings, including dissolution of marriage. This bill would revise those provisions to include documents listing or identifying the parties’ income or expenses, permit specified portions of those records to be redacted, subject to a finding by the court, and make related changes. This bill would additionally require the court, upon request of a party, to redact the social security number, residence address, and certain financial information of a party, as specified.

UPDATE: Perhaps the legislature got wind of this court decision reported in the LA Times.

The state’s top court today rejected a move by billionaire Ronald Burkle to keep records in his bitter divorce sealed.

June 15, 2006 UPDATE: Surprise revival of divorce bill fails to win support