WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States Supreme Court on Monday turned away a last-ditch appeal to stop the release of documents from sexual abuse lawsuits against priests in a Roman Catholic diocese in Connecticut.

The court refused to hear the appeal from the diocese, in Bridgeport, which has fought for years to prevent the release of the documents. Last month, the justices refused to grant a delay while they considered the diocese’s full appeal.

The order was issued without comment.

The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Hartford Courant have asked to see the documents. The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that more than 12,000 pages from 23 lawsuits against six priests should be unsealed.

The documents include depositions, affidavits and motions.

The records have been under seal since the diocese settled the cases in 2001. They could shed light on how Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York handled the allegations when he was the bishop of Bridgeport.