MICHIGAN — A Michigan court has ordered a state university to conduct its presidential searches in open meetings.The ruling was a win for student journalists seeking access to important university proceedings.Based on a 1993 ruling by the state supreme court, in October a judge ordered the University of Michigan Board of Regents to discontinue the use of private interviews and meetings.Local newspapers filed the case, Detroit Free Press v. University of Michigan, No. 96-7822-CZ (Mich. Cir. Ct., Oct. 17, 1996), charging that the closed meetings violated Michigan’s open records laws.The judge agreed saying “…this process, though well-intended, I’m sure and very well thought out…is in violation of the Open Meetings Act.”