Stymied in their attempts to review the mental-health records of the Virginia Tech gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, the review panel looking into his massacre of 32 students and faculty members last month may go to court, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported today.

However, the panel’s chairman, W. Gerald Massengill, a former state-police superintendent, said he believes the medical and mental-health records may be obtained through other means. The Virginia attorney general’s office believes the panel may be able to use state law to obtain the records.

The panel, which met two weeks ago in Richmond, Va., and on Monday in Blacksburg, Va., has run into several roadblocks. It was appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, not the legislature, so it lacks the power to issue subpoenas. And federal privacy laws are so strict that the university cannot turn over its files on Mr. Cho, or even confirm whether he received any mental-health counseling. —Martin Van Der Werf