A Wake County judge says search warrants in the Nancy Cooper murder investigation will remain sealed.

The ruling came after local media outlets petitioned for the documents to be made public.

Judge Donald Stephens said several times that this was a motion in which both sides represent the public good.

Full Coverage: Nancy Cooper Murder

Lawyers for the media said that they understand the delicate nature of a murder investigation, but find it hard to believe that everything in the three warrants needed to be kept out of the public eye.

They argued the court could edit out certain information, and unseal other parts of the paperwork.

"Sealing orders should be unusual and infrequent as possible," said attorney Hugh Stevens. "They should be as narrow as possible in both their scope and their duration, and they should be specific as possible."

"The immediate release of the information to the public could, and would, undermine the ongoing investigation and jeopardize the potential success of the investigation," countered Judge Stephens.

The judge said in his ruling that unsealing any of the warrant information could also be unfair to the suspect, whoever that may be, and could make it hard for that person or persons to get a fair trial.