The embattled mayor of the eastern Iowa town of Muscatine has won a court decision.

Mayor Diana Broderson was ousted last May by the Muscatine City Council, but she fought that ouster in district court, and a judge ordered her temporarily reinstated. He also ordered the city to release transcripts of recordings allegedly made during closed council sessions regarding the mayor. The city complied. After reviewing the transcripts, the judge ruled they could be used as evidence but not be released to the public.

Despite that protective order, Muscatine asked the Iowa Supreme Court to keep the recordings out of the removal case. But Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins has denied the city’s appeal. On her Facebook page, Broderson, who is running for re-election in November, says the ruling supports transparency.

(By Phil Roberts, Davenport)