UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

WEST PALM BEACH DIVISION

DONALD J. TRUMP,

Plaintiff,

v.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Defendant.

/ 

Case No.: 22-CV-81294-AMC

THE NEWS MEDIA’S JOINT MOTION TO UNSEAL NOTICE OF

STATUS OF PRIVILEGE REVIEW TEAM’S FILTER PROCESS

Proposed Intervenors American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.; the Associated Press;

Bloomberg LP; Cable News Network, Inc.; CBS Broadcasting Inc.; Dow Jones & Company, 

Inc., publisher of The Wall Street Journal; the E.W. Scripps Company; The Palm Beach Post, a 

newspaper owned and operated by Gannett Co., Inc.; Gray Media Group, Inc. d/b/a WCJB-TV, 

WJHG-TV, and WWSB-TV; NBCUniversal Media, LLC d/b/a NBC News; The New York 

Times Company; and WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post (the “News Media”)

hereby join the Government’s Motion to Unseal Notice of Status of Privilege Review Team’s 

Filter Process (“Gov’t Mot.”), ECF No. 71.

1

As the Government correctly notes, the common law presumes public access to judicial 

records. See Gov’t Mot. at 3 (citing Chi. Trib. Co. v. Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., 263 F.3d 1304, 

 

1 This group of movants has previously requested leave to intervene for the limited purpose of 

seeking public access to all documents filed under seal with this Court pursuant to its August 27, 

2022 Preliminary Order on Motion for Judicial Oversight and Additional Relief, ECF No. 29. 

See The News Media’s Joint Mot. to Intervene for the Limited Purpose of Obtaining Access to 

Ct. Records and to Unseal Same, ECF No. 49. That motion remains pending decision.

Case 9:22-cv-81294-AMC Document 79 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/09/2022 Page 1 of 3
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1311 (11th Cir. 2011); United States v. Ignasiak, 667 F.3d 1217, 1238 (11th Cir. 2012)). The 

First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution also provides for a presumption of access to judicial 

records. See Bright v. Mental Health Res. Ctr., Inc., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33929, at *11-12 

(M.D. Fla. Mar. 14, 2012) (“The Court may only disregard the presumption of openness” for 

judicial records “where there is a compelling government interest, and may only do so in a 

manner that is narrowly tailored to protect that interest.”).

Here, the Court ordered the Government to file the notice of the status of the filter review 

by the Government’s privilege review team (the “Filter Notice”) under seal. See Preliminary 

Order on Motion for Judicial Oversight and Additional Relief, ECF No. 29 at 2. The Court’s 

subsequent Order relies in part on the Filter Notice. See Order, ECF No. 64 at 6, 15 n.13. The 

Filter Notice is therefore clearly a judicial record subject to the presumption of public access. 

Moreover, the Government has informed the Court that no compelling interest, or any 

justification at all, would warrant the continued sealing of that document. See Gov’t Mot. at 4-5.

For these reasons, and those stated in their prior motion to unseal, ECF No. 49, the News 

Media join in the Government’s Motion and respectfully request that the Court unseal the Filter 

Notice.

Case 9:22-cv-81294-AMC Document 79 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/09/2022 Page 2 of 3
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Dated: September 9, 2022 Respectfully submitted,

THOMAS AND LOCICERO PL BALLARD SPAHR LLP

By: /s/ Carol Jean LoCicero By: /s/ Charles D. Tobin

Carol Jean LoCicero (FBN 603030)

Mark R. Caramanica (FBN 110581)

601 South Boulevard

Tampa, FL 33606

Telephone: 813.984.3060

clocicero@tlolawfirm.com

mcaramanica@tlolawfirm.com

Dana J. McElroy (FBN 845906)

915 Middle River Drive, Suite 309

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Telephone: 954.703.3418

dmcelroy@tlolawfirm.com

Attorneys for Intervenors The New York 

Times Company and CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Charles D. Tobin (FBN 816345)

1909 K Street NW, 12th Floor

Washington, DC 20006

Telephone: 202.661.2218

tobinc@ballardspahr.com

Elizabeth Seidlin-Bernstein (pro hac vice)

1735 Market Street, 51st Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103-7599

Telephone: 215.665.8500

seidline@ballardspahr.com

Attorneys for Intervenors the Associated Press, 

Bloomberg LP, Cable News Network, Inc., Gray 

Media Group, Inc., NBCUniversal Media, LLC, 

the E.W. Scripps Company, and WP Company 

LLC

SHULLMAN FUGATE PLLC ATHERTON GALARDI MULLEN & 

REEDER PLLC

By: /s/ Rachel E. Fugate By: /s/ L. Martin Reeder, Jr.

Rachel E. Fugate (FBN 144029)

Deanna K. Shullman (FBN 514462)

Minch Minchin (FBN 1015950)

2101 Vista Parkway, Suite 4006

West Palm Beach, FL 33411

Telephone: 813.935.5098

rfugate@shullmanfugate.com

dshullman@shullmanfugate.com

mminchin@shulmanfugate.com

Attorneys for Intervenors Dow Jones & 

Company, Inc. and American Broadcasting 

Companies, Inc.

L. Martin Reeder, Jr. (FBN 308684)

1641 Worthington Road, Suite 11

West Palm Beach, FL 33409

Telephone: 561.293.2530

martin@athertonlg.com

Attorneys for Intervenor The Palm Beach Post

Case 9:22-cv-81294-AMC Document 79 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/09/2022 Page 3 of 3