ANN ARBOR, MI -- A Washtenaw County judge is weighing whether to seal court records in a lawsuit filed by conservative pundit Debbie Schlussel against the Ann Arbor Police Department.

Schlussel's lawsuit alleges the department is improperly suppressing the name of a Muslim woman who falsely reported a hate crime in November. Schlussel attempted to get the name via a Freedom of Information Act request, but it was redacted -- or blotted out -- by the city attorney's Office, which cited privacy and medical concerns.

Assistant City Attorney Thomas Kent subsequently filed a motion to seal the case so the woman's name doesn't appear in public records or in any records provided to the plaintiff while the case is ongoing.

Both sides appeared before Judge Tim Connors on Thursday, Sept. 28 in Washtenaw County Trial Court, where they sparred over Schlussel's motivations for filing the politically-charged lawsuit, and whether the records should be sealed.

Schlussel's attorney, West Bloomfield-based Daniel Lehman, argued for release of the woman's name in part because of the fabricated hate crime's political nature.

In the highly publicized case, the unnamed Muslim woman -- a University of Michigan student -- claimed a white man threatened to light her on fire for wearing hijab. She told police she believed the man was a supporter of then-President-elect Donald Trump.

Lehman argued the woman was a public figure whose actions prompted widespread criticism of Trump supporters on social media.

"This case was used to paint a large swath of the population as complete dirtbags," Lehman said. "It was to show (that) these are the people that supported this candidate. This false police report was used to besmirch millions of names... It was used as anecdotal evidence that the world has gone to hell now that Trump was elected."

Connors wasn't buying that argument.

"I've met a lot of people I know who voted for Trump, I don't think any of them know anything about this (case)," he said.

But the judge didn't rule on whether to seal the records right away. Instead, he decided to review the entire police report -- without any redactions -- and make a decision at a later date.

Connors said he will only consider the privacy and medical aspects of the case, despite Lehman arguing that Schlussel was being unfairly singled out because of who she is.

The Michigan-based attorney and conservative political commentator has appeared on national cable news shows. Schlussel has been outspoken in her criticism of Muslims and has claimed Ann Arbor is invoking Sharia law in keeping the woman's name private.

Kent claims Schlussel's motivations are more nefarious than mere transparency, as claimed in the lawsuit.

In his motion, Kent wrote that Schlussel is an anti-Muslim blogger and pundit who "attacks Muslims and the Muslim religion" and is using the lawsuit to "prey upon a specified person as well as the Muslim public through tactics of fear and prejudice and she is using her website as an anti-Muslim Internet offering plate."

The court file includes images from Schlussel's website, where she asks for donations to help with the lawsuit.

Kent's remarks in court echoed his filing.

"She has made it clear on her website that her intention in this case is take the identity and try (the Muslim woman) in a court of public opinion and carry out the job the prosecutors office didn't want to do in this case," he said.

As a matter of routine, police don't release the name of victims in such a case, nor the name of a suspect until they are formally charged in court.

The Muslim woman was initially the victim in the case, but later became the suspect as police investigated her for falsely reporting a crime. The Washtenaw County Prosecutor declined to authorize charges, saying that it wasn't in the interest of justice, according to records from the prosecutor's office.

Schlussel has pointed out that in a similar FOIA request, the Ann Arbor police released the name of Halley Bass, the 21-year-old University of Michigan student who also fabricated a post-election hate crime. Prosecutors chose to authorize charges in that case. Bass admitted to the crime and is serving one year of probation after pleading guilty to one count of false report of a misdemeanor.

"She doesn't have a right to privacy because she's a public figure," Schlussel said about the unnamed woman in lawsuit.

When reached by phone Thursday, Schlussel said she could not make the morning hearing because she was in court on a different case.

"I hope their motion does fail," Schluessel said. "I think it's ridiculous to seal court proceedings unless it involves national security or underage victims."

The case will next appear before Connors on Oct. 26. The judge asked the city attorney's office to provide examples of similar FOIA cases in which a shield was put in place at that hearing.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected with the proper spelling of the judge's name. It's Judge Tim Connors, not Judge Tim O'Connor.