A judge authorized the San Francisco Police Department on Friday to release personnel records of officers involved in serious use of force, sexual assault and other misconduct.

San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman’s decision came just weeks after the San Francisco Police Officer’s Association sought to block the department from releasing misconduct records, claiming the passage of SB 1421 applied only to records before the transparency law took effect on January 1.

Law enforcement agencies across the state followed suit and filed lawsuits of their own in attempts to block the release of records prior to 2019, claiming that the law could not be applied retroactively.

Some Bay Area police departments have released previously sealed records for the first time in response to the law’s passing, such as the Fairfield Police Department and Richmond Police Department.

Representatives with San Francisco’s police union could not be reached for comment on Friday evening.

Kathleen Guneratne, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California, applauded Schulman’s ruling in a statement.

“We’re happy to see the records released so we can get answers for our families,” Guneratne said. “It’s time for police unions to stop filing frivolous lawsuits and let the law take effect.”

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LaurenPorFavor