Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. entered a final written order unsealing most of the Murdoch trust case, subject to redactions for privileged legal advice, personally identifying information, private financial information, and limited portions of a marital settlement agreement. The Commissioner recommended protecting narrowly identified legal advice concerning the trust’s move to the United States, its later restructuring, and the 2019 Disney transaction; and, found that the parties had not waived attorney-client privilege by exchanging the advice among joint privilege holders or by placing it in a record that was sealed at the time.

Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. entered an order notifying Parties of his intent to unseal the entire case file, citing the Supreme Court's order denouncing violations of statutory, common, and constitutional law over the extensive secrecy in which the proceedings were conducted. In response, Parties filed motions to seal, conceding a broad unsealing was appropriate, but urging exceptions for a marital settlement agreement, the trust instrument itself, and attorney-client privileged information. Our Nevada Judges, Inc. opposed, conceding restricted personal information was appropriately sealed, but urging an analysis of whether the marital settlement agreement was relevant to the underlying dispute before sealing the entire document. Gorman ordered Our Nevada Judges, Inc. to seek intervention lest its opposition not be considered. Our Nevada Judges, Inc. lodged an objection with Probate Judge David Hardy, who agreed with the nonprofit corporation, countermanded Gorman's order as "unreasonable," and ordered the opposition considered. Gorman immediately complied and, separately, granted Our Nevada Judges, Inc.'s request to deploy high-definition cameras at an upcoming hearing on the matter.

The Murdoch family reached a settlement on September 8, and the district court dismissed the trust case with prejudice on September 19. The Murdoch parties then argued that the settlement implicated mootness, which the media coalition opposed. The Supreme Court sided with the media coalition, invoking an exception to the mootness doctrine and denouncing the extensive secrecy as a violation of statutory, common, and constitutional law. The Supreme Court ordered the district court to review the documents and transcripts separately and decide what, if anything, still required protection. The Supreme Court cited misjoinder in denying Our Nevada Judges, Inc.'s writ petition confronting court access issues stemming from three judicial districts.

Chief Judge Lynne K. Jones continued oral arguments on the petitions and motions previously considered during the May 22 and 23, 2025 proceedings in the Murdoch family trust case. The matters included challenges to the Probate Commissioner’s findings and conclusions, a petition for judicial review filed by William Barr, William O’Donnell, and Michael Roberson, and the objectors’ motion to strike.

The media coalition and Murdoch trust parties filed supplemental authorities addressing public access and sealing, despite the Supreme Court not having yet ruled on the matter. Specifically, the media coalition brought the Supreme Court’s attention to UnitedHealthcare Services, Inc. v. Synergen Health LLC, a decision supporting separate review of each document before sealing. Separately, the Supreme Court directed a response in the writ proceedings instituted by Our Nevada Judges, Inc.

Rupert Murdoch sought judicial review of the Commissioner’s decision. William Barr, William O’Donnell, and Michael Roberson filed a separate petition for judicial review, which objectors Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch, James Murdoch, Richard Oldfield, Mark Devereux, and Jesse Angelo moved to strike Chief Judge Lynne K. Jones heard oral arguments on requests for judicial review of the Probate Commissioner’s findings, conclusions, and recommended order in the Murdoch family trust dispute.

The Murdoch trust parties responded to the media coalition’s writ petition, arguing that the existing statutes justify allowing closed hearings and court records should remain closed. Meanwhile, Our Nevada Judges brought a separate public-access challenge on November 12, 2024, expanding scrutiny to include two other judicial districts, including a confrontation of statutes blocking public access to termination of parental rights, dependency, and paternity actions. The Supreme Court added Senior Justice James W. Hardesty to the en banc panel, recognizing the vacancy created by Justice Linda Marie Bell's voluntary disqualification. The Supreme Court also granted the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Our Nevada Judges, Inc.'s request to provide electronic coverage of oral arguments, currently scheduled for May 7.

Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. recommended allowing voting-technology company Smartmatic to intervene for the limited purpose of seeking evidence for its defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Smartmatic sought testimony and court records concerning Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s control over Fox Corporation and Fox News. The company argued that the evidence could be relevant to its pending New York defamation lawsuit against Fox. Gorman determined that Smartmatic could pursue the evidence if the New York court found it discoverable. Any disclosure would be subject to Nevada’s trust-confidentiality laws, required redactions, and restrictions against public release.

The six-day evidentiary hearing concluded with the fate of Rupert Murdoch’s proposed amendment to the Murdoch Trust at issue. The central question was whether the managing directors acted in good faith for the benefit of all affected beneficiaries—or primarily to secure Lachlan Murdoch’s control. Harvard Law School professor Robert Sitkoff was the final witness. He disputed Glenn Hubbard’s conclusion that the amendment’s costs outweighed its benefits, arguing that Hubbard had underestimated both the risk of family deadlock and the safeguards governing how the trust is managed. The parties agreed not to proceed with the remainder of Professor Guhan Subramanian’s testimony. Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. ordered written closing arguments within 30 days, with responses due 21 days later, and took the matter under advisement

R. Glenn Hubbard, a Columbia Business School economist and former White House economic adviser, testified on the fifth day of the closed evidentiary hearing He said the proposed trust amendment would reduce the objecting children’s shared control and strengthen Lachlan Murdoch’s authority. Professor Guhan Subramanian offered a different view, testifying about the potential corporate governance and economic benefits of stable control. Robert Armstrong, a former managing director of trustee Cruden Financial Services, testified about how the trust had historically been managed and the decision-making responsibilities of its managing directors. His testimony provided context for evaluating whether the proposed restructuring of the Murdoch family trust departed from the usual practices. The court also received portions of Siobhan McKenna's recorded deposition The evidence connected McKenna and Lachlan to the early development of Project Family Harmony, including the recruitment and vetting of possible replacement managing directors before Rupert formally joined the effort. The record also showed that McKenna had extensive communications with Murdoch biographer Paddy Manning, despite suspicions directed at James Murdoch over alleged leaks. The competing testimony focused on whether the amendment genuinely protected the beneficiaries and companies from instability or instead shifted control to Lachlan at the objectors' expense. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court directed the trust parties to answer the emergency petition seeking to open the proceedings. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court denied a stay, allowing proceedings to continue in secret for the time being.

Lachlan Murdoch testified during the fourth day of the closed evidentiary hearing concerning Rupert Murdoch's effort to preserve Lachlan's control of Fox Corporation and News Corp. Lachlan acknowledged that Project Family Harmony originated with him and News Corp executive Siobhan McKenna before Rupert was brought into the effort. Lachlan defended his business record and described the Disney transaction differently from James Murdoch's testimony. Lachlan said he questioned Disney chief executive Bob Iger's negotiating approach and helped bring Comcast into the bidding, which he calculated caused Disney to increase its offer by approximately $20 billion. He also described his earlier attempt to protect James during the phone-hacking scandal, but said their later experiment jointly leading 21st Century Fox was a failure from the beginning. On cross-examination, Lachlan acknowledged that he had no proof James or his associates leaked information to a Murdoch biographer or the Financial Times. Counsel confronted him with evidence that McKenna had spent more than 14 hours speaking with biographer Paddy Manning. Lachlan said he had not previously read the interview transcript and would not fire McKenna. Jesse Angelo, a longtime friend and business associate of James, also testified. News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson supported continuity in the company's leadership but acknowledged his close relationship with Rupert. The record also showed that Thomson participated in early Project Family Harmony meetings and requested an analysis of how family discord could affect corporate strategy and editorial policy. A media coalition filed an emergency writ petition with the Supreme Court, effectively challenging the near-total sealing of the record and exclusion of the press and public from ongoing evidentiary hearings. The coalition argued that statutes designed to protect confidential trust information do not authorize blanket secrecy, urging the Supreme Court to require the district court to examine each document and hearing individually and make particularized findings supporting any continued closure. The trust parties opposed emergency intervention.

Elisabeth Murdoch, Prudence MacLeod and James Murdoch testified during the third day of the closed evidentiary hearing on Rupert Murdoch's effort to preserve Lachlan Murdoch's control of Fox Corporation and News Corp. Richard Oldfield, a longtime managing director of trustee Cruden Financial Services, also testified and disputed that the existing structure created an imminent risk of deadlock. Elisabeth said she had no intention of removing Lachlan and described her relationship with Rupert as extremely close before the proposed amendment. She revealed that she had secretly recorded the December 2023 family meeting where the plan was presented. Elisabeth believed the proposal would divide the family and ultimately create the very conflict it was meant to prevent. She also said she did not attend Rupert’s 2024 wedding because she felt betrayed, although she still hoped they could reconcile. James Murdoch defended his business record, including his role in the Disney sale, and rejected criticism arising from the phone-hacking scandal and the failed Vice Media investment. He denied leaking confidential information and defended his right to criticize Fox News coverage. James testified that Lachlan had opposed the Disney transaction and warned that James would no longer have a brother if the sale proceeded.

Rupert Murdoch defended his effort to restructure the trust during the second day of the closed evidentiary hearing before Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. He described Lachlan as the child best qualified to lead Fox and News Corp, while calling James intelligent but prone to poor judgment. Rupert said family disagreements, concerns that Lachlan could later be removed, and advice from his former wife, Anna Murdoch Mann, led him to pursue the changes. He admitted that he had delayed addressing succession because he had been weak. On cross-examination, Rupert defended the company's role as major center-right voices and acknowledged that transferring them to owners with different political views would diminish his legacy. The objectors questioned whether the amendment would allow Rupert to appoint replacement trustees or managing directors and effectively determine control of the trust after his death. William O'Donnell testified about three proposals considered at a December 2023 meeting. Two proposals protecting Lachlan's voting authority required unanimous approval and failed. A third created additional Cruden entities, with Rupert and Lachlan having the power to select the managing directors, and passed five votes to three. O'Donnell said the changes would promote stability but acknowledged that he had no prior experience directing a public company or serving on a trustee's board and relied heavily on attorneys. He also disregarded Jesse Angelo's request to postpone the meeting. Mark Devereux disputed that the existing structure presented an imminent danger. Although he acknowledged family divisions, he characterized deadlock as remote and said Cruden had not experienced one during his approximately 20 years as a managing director. Devereux also discussed succession memoranda he prepared in 2023 to encourage communication and planning among the Murdoch children. A media coalition seeking access to the closed proceedings filed a notice of intent to seek emergency relief from the Nevada Supreme Court.

Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. presided over the first day of a closed evidentiary hearing on Rupert Murdoch's effort to restructure a trust to preserve Lachlan Murdoch's control of Fox Corporation and News Corp. William Barr testified about the proposed restructuring, the information available to the managing directors, and their authority. Michael Roberson described his recruitment as a managing director, discussions with Lachlan, and review of the governing documents before accepting the position. The testimony addressed whether the existing voting structure created a genuine risk of deadlock after Rupert's death.

Probate Commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. held a final pretrial status conference in a dispute over a trust central to control of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The proceeding, held six days before the scheduled start of an evidentiary hearing, involved efforts to amend trust provisions. Lachlan Murdoch and trustee Cruden Financial Services, LLC, aligned with Rupert Murdoch, while Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch, James Murdoch, Richard Oldfield, Mark Devereux, and Jesse Angelo opposed the requested changes. Gorman recommended denying a request by Our Nevada Judges, Inc. to provide electronic coverage of the proceedings. He conceded that coverage would not substantially interfere with a fair trial, distract participants, or diminish the dignity of the proceedings, but cited statutory privacy interests and safety concerns regarding the locations and travel plans of nationally prominent witnesses. The New York Times Company, CNN, The Associated Press, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, and Reuters moved to intervene, seeking immediate access to the proceedings and court records. The parties opposed the motion.