Clark County’s effort to hush up a scandal in its Public Works Department ran aground in court this week. It’s a welcome development.

On Wednesday, District Judge Bita Yeager ordered county officials to provide the Review-Journal with certain unredacted records involving the paper’s investigation into a fired official whose wife’s company was awarded a lucrative county contract. County officials had been fighting such disclosure for months — using taxpayer money to do so — after RJ reporter Mary Hynes uncovered the potential conflict of interest.

The dispute involved Jimmy Floyd, the head of the county’s construction management division. In December 2024, the county awarded a $10 million contract to Diversified Consulting Solutions related to managing the construction of the 215 Beltway and Summerlin Parkway interchange. The company had worked on its proposal with Rock Solid Project Solutions, which stood to gain at least $1.5 million as a subcontractor.…