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NEW ORLEANS The Times-Picayune should be able to see paperwork that led to the Aug. 3 raid by federal authorities on the New Orleans home of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, along with his car and the office of his campaign treasurer, Jack Swetland, a federal appeals court judge has ruled.

The Justice Department has already released similar paperwork laying out its justification for the recent raid of Jefferson's congressional office in Washington as part of the same federal inquiry.

Jefferson, D-La., has not been charged in the case and has denied wrongdoing.

Two of his associates have pleaded guilty to federal charges, saying they were involved in a scheme in which Jefferson sought bribes in exchange for helping an American telecommunications firm do business in Africa.

The Times-Picayune sued last month to make public the materials related to the New Orleans raids, including the search warrants and supporting paperwork such as affidavits, applications, returns and inventories.

Those papers had been sealed by a court order.

Federal investigators have not opposed any request to make the materials public. Jefferson has objected, saying that unsealing the materials would violate his privacy and deny him the right to a fair trial if he is indicted.

On Friday, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge W. Eugene Davis agreed with The Times-Picayune's position, saying that the public's right to know details of the case outweighs Jefferson's interests.

Davis noted that a "substantially identical" affidavit had already been unsealed in Washington, and that details of the federal probe "have been widely reported in the press."

The judge also noted that Jefferson "is a public servant and his conduct in the performance of his official duties is a matter of great public interest."