The Toronto police squad investigating Mayor Rob Ford and his former driver Alexander “Sandro” Lisi will be asked to provide a list of any new search warrants filed in the case or “companion investigations” by next Wednesday.

Justice Ian Nordheimer, the veteran judge responsible for determining what can be made public, asked for the list after Toronto Star lawyer Ryder Gilliland made the request. Secrecy typically shrouds the existence of warrants and Gilliland told court that is not “consistent with the open court principle.”

Meanwhile, new search warrant documents the Star uncovered two weeks ago related to a boozy, drug-fuelled night at sister Kathy Ford’s house were not released to the public as expected Friday. Lawyers for two men at the basement party, Lisi and Michael “Jugga” James, will also have until Wednesday to review the documents.

Since news of the first crack cocaine video surfaced in early 2013, the Project Brazen 2 squad — a group of veteran detectives assembled from homicide and other units — has been probing allegations of drug use, trafficking and extortion related to attempts to retrieve the video. Lisi faces those charges for which a preliminary hearing will be held next spring.

A new line of police inquiry started in May when the existence of a second crack video was revealed. The Star began a court action to have search warrant documents related to the video unsealed.

According to James, who told the Star how he video taped Ford and his sister smoking crack cocaine in her basement, and showed three separate videos to the Star, the mayor also used racist language that night in April and pummelled Lisi until he cried.

At court Friday, lawyers for the Star and other media agreed to a request from Lisi’s lawyer to give him until Wednesday to review the material that the crown attorney has already vetted for release. Attempts are also being made to reach James’ lawyer so that his client can weigh in.

Typically, people named in a search warrant who are facing charges will argue their “fair trial interests” would be prejudiced if the material was released before a trial. However, court heard that James has recently had charges of carrying a concealed pair of brass knuckles stayed, so there is little danger of him going to trial on that matter.

“It’s difficult to see how his fair trial rights are affected,” Justice Nordheimer said in court.

Over the past year the Star has successfully led a series of challenges to obtain search warrant information related to the Project Brazen 2 probe of Ford and others. Each time, the Star has learned of the existence of a sealed search warrant through sources, then gone to court to have it unsealed and most of it released to the public.

In court Friday, Star lawyer Gilliland suggested that having to rely on sources to find a document in the labyrinth of Ontario court files was unfair, given the principle of “open courts” in Ontario.

“This sealing order was made through investigative efforts of my client. I don’t think it should have to been that way,” Gilliland said.

Gilliland said the crown attorney should be asked to get a list of all warrants issued in 2014 and Justice Nordheimer agreed.

Nordheimer went a step further, given that the Brazen 2 probe was an offshoot of an earlier guns and gangs probe called Project Traveller. Nordheimer asked crown John Patton to contact Toronto police with a request for Brazen 2 warrants and any “companion investigations” that may exist.

The matter returns to court Wednesday at 9 a.m. Crown attorney John Patton said he will ask the Toronto police for a list of any new search warrants.

Earlier this week, James told the Star in an interview that his brass knuckles charge was dropped because police had “insufficient evidence” to charge him.

The 20-year-old man, who lives with his mother in Schomberg, earlier told the Star that he was angry with Ford for using the word “n-----” to refer to him (he is black) that night at Kathy’s and for throwing pennies at him, which he took as a sign of disrespect.

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The brass knuckles charge was laid by Sgt. Gary Giroux, the lead Project Brazen 2 investigator who is also a veteran homicide detective. Chief Bill Blair appointed Giroux to investigate the mayor, Lisi, and others back in May 2013.

A source told the Star the investigation continues. Ford is in hospital being treated for cancer.

The Globe and Mail paid $10,000 for still photos taken from one of the videos James said he filmed surreptitiously that night. A source told the Star that part of the police probe involves an attempt to retrieve the three videos. When the Star viewed the videos with James in May there was no sound because, James said, the microphone on his phone was broken.