The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled against a motion filed by several anonymous men seeking to keep their identities concealed in an alleged sex-trafficking case spanning Greater Boston and the Washington, D.C., area.

The decision, which upholds a previous ruling by a Cambridge District Court clerk magistrate, marks the third failed attempt by the defendants—described as high-profile clients of the alleged trafficking operation—to maintain anonymity.

The Boston Herald was the first to report on the SJC’s decision Thursday.

The ruling affirms that hearings will be open to the public, though records and preliminary documents remain sealed pending further court action. Hearing dates are expected to be scheduled for late January or early February, according to the Herald.