LINCOLN -- A petition seeking access to court records in the Beason family murder case and search warrants dating back several years in other Logan County court cases was filed Friday by three newspapers, including The Pantagraph.

Springfield media attorney Don Craven filed the lawsuit on behalf of The Pantagraph, The Herald & Review in Decatur and The State Journal-Register in Springfield. Named in the lawsuit are Logan County Circuit Clerk Suzann Maxheimer, who maintains court records, and Sheriff Steve Nichols, who is believed to have retained documents related to searches.

The media and public have not had access to search warrant information in the murder case related to the Sept. 21 slayings of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children in Beason.

The Logan County circuit clerk's office said recently that search warrants and the documents that accompany them are routinely sealed.

Logan County's practice of keeping search warrant materials secret is not consistent with the public's right to open records and access to courts, said Pantagraph Editor Mark Pickering.

"When the media discovers limitations placed on court and other public records, it's our responsibility to be aggressive about getting a fair hearing on the issue," he said. "It's part of our job to be a watchdog for the community.

"The information we're seeking in the Gee case would be available in any other criminal case. I don't see why this case should be treated any differently," said Pickering.

Four people face charges related to the Gee case, including brothers Christopher J. Harris and Jason L. Harris and Jennifer Earnest, all of Armington, and her mother, Sara Duncan of Sarasota, Fla.

Craven emphasized that Logan County officials are not accused of any wrongdoing in handling of search warrants.

"Nobody is suggesting Sheriff Nichols or any other law enforcement officer investigating this tragedy has committed any wrongdoing. On the contrary, they have done yeoman's work. Unfortunately there are occasions where law enforcement agencies and officers find themselves compromised," said Craven.

State law requires that once a search warrant has been executed, the supporting complaint given to a judge requesting the search must be filed with the court clerk. A 2007 opinion by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in a Sangamon County case concluded that search warrant documents are open court records, according to the media lawsuit.

No hearing has been set on the petition for the court records.