Wyoming’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a surreptitiously taped recording of a committee meeting at the University of Wyoming is a public record. The university had fought to keep the tape out of the hands of a former employee by arguing that she was not entitled to it under the state’s public-records law. A state district court had sided with the university in a June ruling.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to the district court. The high court said the university could have an opportunity to argue whether certain exemptions might apply under the public-records law that could allow the university to avoid turning over the tape even though it is a public record or that would allow the institution to redact portions of it.

The former university employee, Corrine Sheaffer, was fired from her job as manager of transportation and parking services in 2003 after the university found that she had directed a subordinate to secretly tape a meeting of the institution’s committee that hears appeals of parking tickets. Ms. Sheaffer has said that she did not order the taping and sued to get a copy of the tape.

The Associated Press just posted an article with more on the ruling..