A lawyer for Mr. Smollett, Brian Watson, argued at last week’s court hearing that the media had plenty of access to Mr. Smollett’s case and that unsealing it would violate Mr. Smollett’s rights. Mr. Watson said the media’s position that intense public attention to the case precluded Mr. Smollett’s right to privacy was self-fulfilling; the media had full control over whether it gave a defendant that attention. Speaking outside the courtroom on Thursday, Mr. Watson said that he was unsure whether he will appeal the judge’s decision and that he had to speak with Mr. Smollett before making any next steps.

In his order, Judge Watkins wrote that Mr. Watson’s argument had “some appeal” and that there was a “certain irony” in news organizations seeking access to sealed documents based on the fact that Mr. Smollett is different than the typical criminal defendant, while actively treating him that way. But, he wrote, Mr. Smollett also chose to bring publicity to his own case and so should not be allowed the privacy of a sealed case file.

Cathy McNeil Stein, the lawyer representing the state, said outside the courtroom on Thursday that the state’s attorney’s office planned to review its files and turn over documents that were previously sealed. The office said in a statement that it would release the documents by June 3.

Kim Foxx, the Cook County state’s attorney, wrote in a column in The Chicago Tribune that she wanted records in Mr. Smollett’s case to be made public. Ms. Foxx had withdrawn from the Smollett case because she had contact with a member of his family before he was considered a suspect, although text messages later released by her office showed that she had expressed concerns to members of her staff that Mr. Smollett was being treated too harshly. A lawyer representing the state did not take a position on the sealed-records issue in court.

Mr. Smollett, who is black and gay, reported to police in January that two men assaulted him while he was walking in downtown Chicago around 2 a.m. He told detectives that the men shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him, placed a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him. Mr. Smollett said the men used the phrase “MAGA country,” a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan.

Skepticism of Mr. Smollett’s account grew after news broke that one of the two men being questioned in the case had appeared in “Empire.” In a shocking twist, the police arrested Mr. Smollett in February and accused him of staging the attack. A grand jury indicted him on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct.