On Saturday (March 11), a federal judge denied the request of several media outlets to have records relating to former President Donald Trump’s compliance with a grand jury’s Subpoena to turn over classified documents unsealed.
Several outlets argued that secrecy surrounding the compliance with the Subpoena wasn’t necessary anymore, citing “extensive public judicial disclosure.”
The outlets also pointed to the “gravity” of the government’s request to hold Trump in contempt.
Chief District Judge Beryl Howell gave the ruling on Saturday, explaining that despite the “government disclos[ing] the existence of the Subpoena,” that disclosure “did not reveal the details of ancillary proceeding” regarding the government’s efforts to enforce the Subpoena or Trump’s efforts to comply with the Subpoena.
Howell noted that allowing the outlets’ requests wasn’t “feasible” because it wouldn’t be possible “without disclosing grand jury material,” adding that redaction also wasn’t a possibility.
According to Politico, one of the news organizations part of the suit, the media organizations first sued for the release of the records in December.
The suit followed Howell rejecting press attendance at a hearing, allegedly about contempt proceedings related to the former President and current Presidential candidate.
Saturday’s denial isn’t the first time Howell, an Obama appointee, has rejected media requests to unseal records relating to Trump.
In February, Howell denied a similar request from Politico and the New York Times.
The two news organizations had approached the court to have court filings from a grand jury’s January 6 Investigation unsealed.
