Source: https://www.rcfp.org/litigation/
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 12:43:13+00:00

Document:
Reporters Committee attorneys pursue impact and needs-based litigation in state and federal courts, in addition to filing a number of important amicus curiae briefs in legal matters affecting the newsgathering and publication rights of journalists. In addition to these in-court efforts, RCFP attorneys continue to provide pre-publication legal services to freelance and independent journalists, including independent documentary filmmakers.
We continue to look for opportunities to bring strategic, impact litigation for the benefit of the news media while, at the same time, ensuring that individual journalists in need of legal defense help have representation.
You can also read about the Reporters Committee litigation priorities.
• Jacobsen & Landers v. City of Charlottesville et al.
• Khan v. United States Department of Defense et al.
• Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association v. de Blasio, et al.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a request in the federal district court for the District of Columbia for an order that would authorize the public release of grand jury material that is “cited, quoted, or referenced” in the report submitted to Attorney General William Barr by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press moved to unseal the docket and records related to the United States’ criminal prosecution of Julian Assange in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Colombian attorney Abelardo de la Espriella sued reporter Daniel Coronell for defamation by implication following publication of an opinion article detailing facts about Mr. de la Espriella’s career.
The Reporters Committee and a coalition of six news organizations intervened to unseal court records related to the ongoing, high-profile prosecution of three Chicago police officers accused of conspiring to obstruct justice in the investigation of the 2014 shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. This media coalition previously intervened to unseal court documents in the related and ongoing prosecution of former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, who is accused of murdering McDonald.
The Reporters Committee and a coalition of Illinois news organizations intervened to unseal court records related to the ongoing, high-profile prosecution of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke. Van Dyke is charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
Journalist Jason Leopold and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (“Petitioners”) requested that the District Court for the District of Columbia unseal all court records, including applications, affidavits, and court orders, relating to the government’s applications for: (1) court orders filed pursuant to the Pen Register Statute; (2) search warrants issued pursuant to the Stored Communications Act; and (3) court orders filed pursuant to Section 2703(d) of the Stored Communications Act. In response to the litigation, the Clerk of the Court and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia entered in a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to unseal and provide lists of certain docketing information for PR/TT matters. Petitioners have filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the Court’s final order.
Jacobsen & Landers v. City of Charlottesville et al.
Two freelance journalists, Jackson Landers and Natalie Jacobsen, filed three requests for records under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act with the City of Charlottesville, Virginia Department of State Police, and Virginia Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, seeking records of the operational or safety plans used for the “Unite the Right” rally on August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, VA. After their requests were denied in their entirety, Landers and Jacobsen filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus in the Charlottesville Circuit Court.
Reporters Committee attorneys are seeking to intervene and unseal in John Doe v. United States, a sealed criminal case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The Second Circuit issued a redacted February 14 opinion granting Doe’s writ of error coram nobis and requiring the trial court to set aside his conviction and sentence. Because of the extensive sealing in the case, the public does not know key facts about it, including the identity of John Doe, his counsel, or the district court from which the appeal was taken.
Khan v. United States Department of Defense et al.
Journalist Azmat Khan submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), a component of the Department of Defense, for records related to investigations of alleged civilian casualties resulting from airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association v. de Blasio, et al.
A coalition comprised of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Hearst Corporation, The Associated Press, Buzzfeed, Cable News Network, Inc., The Center for Investigative Reporting, Daily News, LP, Dow Jones & Company, Inc., Gannett Co., Inc., Gizmodo Media Group, LLC, New York Public Radio, The New York Times Company, NYP Holdings, Inc., and Spectrum News NY1 sought to intervene in a case brought by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York (“PBA”). PBA’s lawsuit seeks to prevent the release of police body-worn camera (BWC) video.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the press filed a lawsuit against the FBI and DOJ to force them to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and release records regarding the FBI’s impersonation of journalists, including the Associated Press. This case is related to The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press & The Associated Press v. Federal Bureau of Investigation & U.S. Department of Justice, No. 1:15-cv-01392 (D.D.C.).
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a lawsuit against CBP and DHS to force them to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and release records regarding the CBP’s use of its summons authority in an attempt to “unmask” the users behind the “alternative agency” Twitter account @alt_uscis.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a lawsuit against CBP and DHS to force them to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and release records regarding the CBP’s use of its summons authority in an attempt to “unmask” the users behind the “alternative agency” Twitter account @alt_uscis. This second Complaint was filed to (1) seek the processing notes for the first FOIA request; and (2) seek a subset of records from Categories 4 and 5 of the original FOIA request. RCFP is moving to consolidate this case with Case No. 1:18-cv-00155, also in D.D.C.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and The Associated Press filed a lawsuit against the FBI and DOJ to force them to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and release records regarding the FBI’s practice of impersonating members of the news media.
Reporters Committee attorneys filed suit on behalf of Dylan Tokar in December 2016 after DOJ refused to provide records in response to a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request seeking records and information related to DOJ’s selection process for corporate compliance monitors in FCPA cases.
These monitors are hired at the expense of corporations who face DOJ scrutiny and are appointed by DOJ to oversee many aspects of the corporation’s foreign activities for a number of years. As a result, these monitorships are lucrative positions for these lawyers and the law firms they work for.
Tokar’s FOIA request seeks information that would show whether DOJ has followed the guidelines it implemented in 2008 to prevent potential or actual conflicts of interest in its appointment of corporate monitors.
Quartz reporter David Yanofsky filed suit against the United States Department of Commerce seeking access to two databases containing information about foreign travel to and from the United States. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press attorneys are representing Mr. Yanofsky pro bono.
• Cole v. City of Los Angeles et al.
• Hardy et al. v. Kaszycki & Sons Contractors, Inc. et al.
Tulsa World reporter and Enterprise Editor Ziva Branstetter and her newspaper filed suit against the state of Oklahoma seeking access to witness interviews, state officials’ email, and other records regarding the botched execution of Clayton Lockett. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Litigation Director Katie Townsend and Oklahoma City attorney Robert D. Nelon of Hall Estill are representing the plaintiffs pro bono.
2015-04-29: Fallin Application to OK Sup. Ct.
2015-04-29: Thompson Application to OK Sup. Ct.
The Reporters Committee seeks to unseal search warrant and electronic surveillance records related to the closed criminal investigation of retired U.S. Marine Corps general and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, James E. Cartwright. The investigation reportedly centered on communications Cartwright had with two journalists about the use of the Stuxnet virus in a cyberattack against Iran, and the Obama Administration’s drone policies. The application specifically seeks court records concerning search warrants under the Stored Communications Act, orders issued under section 2703(d) of the Stored Communications Act, and authorizations to use pen registers or trap and trace devices in connection with the government’s investigation.
Albury, a former FBI special agent in the Minneapolis field office, is the second person in this administration to be charged and prosecuted under the Espionage Act for sharing classified information with a journalist. On October 18, 2018, he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. On October 31, 2018, the Reporters Committee filed an application to unseal any search warrants, including warrants under the SCA, pen register or tarp and trace device orders, and 2703(d) orders that the government might have sought in this case.
The Reporters Committee seeks to unseal search warrant and electronic surveillance records related to the closed criminal investigation of Donald Sachtleben, a former FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician. Sachtleben pled guilty in 2013 to charges related to his alleged communications with an unnamed reporter about the disruption of a planned suicide bomb attack on a U.S. airline in Yemen and the recovery of a bomb in connection with that plot. The application specifically seeks court records concerning search warrants under the Stored Communications Act, orders issued under section 2703(d) of the Stored Communications Act, and authorizations to use pen registers or trap and trace devices in connection with the government’s investigation.
Cole v. City of Los Angeles et al.
The Reporters Committee represented freelance journalist Jessica Pishko in her attempt to unseal three Exhibits filed in connection with a motion for summary judgment in the case Cole v. City of Los Angeles et al. Reggie D. Cole, along with fellow plaintiff Obie S. Anthony, III, brought a civil suit against the City of Los Angeles after both were release from prison when their convictions for murder were set aside. The Reporters Committee’s representation of Pishko was successful. On February 5, 2016, Judge Consuelo B. Marshall granted Pishko’s motion to unseal the three exhibits.
Hardy et al. v. Kaszycki & Sons Contractors, Inc. et al.
The Reporters Committee and Time Inc. moved to unseal documents from the 1999 settlement of a class action lawsuit relating to the construction of Trump Tower. Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization were among the named defendants in the case. Plaintiffs in the case alleged that undocumented, non-union Polish workers were employed in connection with the demolition of the building previous on the site where Trump Tower now stands and that the business responsible for the demolition failed to make required payments to construction union funds. The case was dismissed in 1999 after a settlement between the parties and at least four documents, including two court orders approving the settlement, were sealed.
Jessica Huseman, an education reporter at the Columbia Journalism School’s Teacher Project, brings suit against the New York City Department of Education seeking records related to complaints received by the DOE, equipment purchase records, and salary information under the New York Freedom of Information Law. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Litigation Director Katie Townsend and New York attorney Patrick Kabat of Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP are representing the plaintiff pro bono.
The Reporters Committee seeks to unseal search warrant and electronic surveillance records related to the closed criminal investigation of former NSA employee Thomas Andrews Drake. In June 2011, Drake pled guilty to a single charge related to his alleged communications with a journalist reportedly from the Baltimore Sun concerning waste and mismanagement at the NSA. The application specifically seeks court records concerning search warrants under the Stored Communications Act, orders issued under section 2703(d) of the Stored Communications Act, and authorizations to use pen registers or trap and trace devices in connection with the government’s investigation.
The Reporters Committee seeks to unseal search warrant and electronic surveillance records related to the closed criminal investigation of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, a former Senior Advisor to the State Department. Kim pled guilty in 2014 to a charge arising from his alleged communications with Fox News reporter James Rosen in 2009. The application specifically seeks court records concerning search warrants under the Stored Communications Act, orders issued under section 2703(d) of the Stored Communications Act, and authorizations to use pen registers or trap and trace devices in connection with the government’s investigation.
The Reporters Committee seeks to unseal search warrant and electronic surveillance records related to the closed criminal investigation of John C. Kiriakou, a former CIA intelligence officer. Kiriakou pled guilty in 2012 to a charge related to his alleged communications with at least two journalists about a specific CIA and counterterrorism program. The application specifically seeks court records concerning search warrants under the Stored Communications Act, orders issued under section 2703(d) of the Stored Communications Act, and authorizations to use pen registers or trap and trace devices in connection with the government’s investigation.
The Reporters Committee and a coalition of historical organizations are seeking to unseal transcripts of witness testimony given before a grand jury in August of 1942 in connection with the government’s attempted prosecution of the Chicago Tribune for alleged violations of the Espionage Act. The government’s attempted prosecution started after the Tribune ran a front-page story at the height of World War II that some believed revealed a closely guarded military secret: that the Navy had successfully cracked the code used by Japanese forces to encrypt their communications. The District Court in the case ordered the materials unsealed. The government has appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
The Reporters Committee, along with a coalition of media organizations and journalists, has filed a petition to unseal documents and proceedings in the criminal prosecutions of Hernan Giraldo-Serna and Rodrigo Tovar Pupo. Giraldo-Serna and Tovar Pupo were Colombian paramilitary leaders in the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, and were extradited in 2008 to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. The docket sheets for the proceedings against both defendants were sealed in their entirety. CBS Broadcasting Inc., Sergio Gomez, a U.S.-based reporter for El Tiempo, Daniel Pacheco, a U.S. based reporter for Caracol and El Espectador, and Univision have joined the Reporters Committee in this effort to unseal the docket sheets, documents and proceedings in these criminal trials.
The Reporters Committee, along with a coalition of media organizations and journalists, has filed a petition to unseal documents and proceedings in the criminal prosecutions of Salvatore Mancuso and Juan Carlos Sierra Ramirez. Mancuso and Sierra Ramirez were Colombian paramilitary leaders in the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, and were extradited in 2008 to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. Both defendants have pleaded guilty. CBS Broadcasting Inc., Sergio Gomez, a U.S.-based reporter for El Tiempo, Daniel Pacheco, a U.S. based reporter for Caracol and El Espectador, and Univision have joined the Reporters Committee in this effort to unseal documents and proceedings related to the defendants’ respective plea agreements and sentencings.
Home contracting company owned by Gustavo Frech Barriero and Jesus Anton Perez sued reporter Jose Gallego for defamation following publication of articles in Spanish-language publication El Espanol related to the company’s ties to high-level Spanish officials.
Alan Morrison filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency for access to records detailing the legal justification for rendition and extraordinary rendition programs conducted by the United States. Attorneys at RCFP are representing Morrison pro bono.
William Hughes is a journalist who had been researching and reporting on the story of Johnny Hincapie for eight years. Hincapie was convicted in 1990 of murdering a tourist in a Manhattan subway station and has been incarcerated ever since. As part of the hearings in New York Supreme Court over Hincapie’s recent motion to vacate his conviction, the District Attorney issued a subpoena duces tecum to Hughes, asking that he turn over his notes, recordings, and other materials concerning the Hincapie case. The Reporters Committee worked with New York attorney Mike Steger to quash the subpoena, arguing under the New York state shield law that Hughes had an absolute privilege against disclosure of his confidential work product and that he met the requirements for the qualified privilege against disclosure of his nonconfidential work product. Justice Eduardo Padro ultimately quashed most of the subpoena but allowed for limited disclosure of some nonconfidential notes and recordings, holding that the DA had shown that it could overcome the qualified privilege against disclosure for these materials.
Jane Rozanski, the former CEO of the Camarillo Health Care District, brought a reverse-California Public Records Act (CPRA) lawsuit against the District to prevent the release of records sought by the Camarillo Acorn in a CPRA request. The District has publicly accused Rozanski of engaging in a secret relationship with the District’s attorney, Ralph Ferguson, and paying his false and inflate fee invoices, which resulted in fraudulent payment of over $400,000 in taxpayer funds. The Acorn sought certain voicemails on Rozanski’s District-owned cellphones, as well as certain emails between Rozanski and Ferguson in Rozanski’s District email account. RCFP attorneys are representing The Acorn, which is participating as the Real Party in Interest in the reverse-CPRA lawsuit.
The Reporters Commitee and Professor Bloom sued the Regents of the University of California after they denied access to historical records dating from the 1940s and 50s. The records are from the Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime in California, which was charged with was charged with exploring organized crime in California.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Chris McDaniel, a St. Louis Public Radio reporter, filed a lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections for violating the Sunshine Law by withholding records regarding the state’s recent executions.
The Reporters Committee and eight news organizations, moved to intervene in the criminal case of retired General and former CIA Director David H. Petraeus, who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified materials, and moved to unseal a sentencing memorandum and letters submitted to the court in support of Gen. David Petraeus. Joining the Reporters Committee are The Associated Press; Bloomberg L.P.; The Charlotte Observer Publishing Co.; Dow Jones & Co., Inc.; First Look Media, Inc.; National Public Radio, Inc.; The New York Times Company; and the Washington Post.

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