Topeka — A Kansas appeals court panel has ruled that the state does not have to make public applications for two county commission openings filled by Gov. Sam Brownback.

The Court of Appeals sided Friday with the state in the lawsuit brought by The Salina Journal and The Associated Press seeking the disclosure of information on more than two dozen applicants for newly created Saline County Commission seats.

A three-judge panel agreed with the governor’s office that those are personnel records exempt from the state’s open records law.

The AP and the newspaper argued that the applicant’s names and other details are public information.

Shawnee County District Judge’s Rebecca Crotty ruled in December 2015 in favor of AP and the newspaper, prompting the state to appeal.

The appellate decision overturns Crotty’s ruling.