Author seeks answers on Montana QB decision

5:52 PM ET

BOZEMAN, Mont. — “Into the Wild” author Jon Krakauer and the public deserve to know why the University of Montana reversed its decision in 2012 to expel a star quarterback who was accused of rape, an attorney for the writer told the Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Krakauer watched from the audience as lawyer Mike Meloy spoke to the justices before a packed Montana State University auditorium. Meloy asked the court to uphold a lower judge’s ruling to release the documents about former quarterback Jordan Johnson’s disciplinary proceedings.

“We don’t care about the behavior of Jordan Johnson. We care about the behavior of the commissioner and the dean who reinstated him,” Meloy said. “Not only do we deserve to know that, the public is entitled to know that.”

An attorney for the Montana University System told the justices that releasing the documents Krakauer seeks would violate student privacy and an education law that could threaten the University of Montana’s federal funding. Plus, the documents’ release may prevent future students from testifying in disciplinary proceedings for fear their identities could be made public, attorney Viv Hammill said.

“Most importantly, we want to keep student confidentiality … because we want students to come forward and report and seek help,” Hammill said.

The justices did not make an immediate ruling after the arguments.

In 2014, Krakauer requested records of any action Commissioner of Higher …

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