Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/51638344/gov-uscourts-vaed-262289-34-0
Timestamp: 2017-10-19 16:44:05
Document Index: 543377512

Matched Legal Cases: ['§2703', '§ 2705', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2705', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§2703', '§ 2703', '§ 2703', '§2703', '§2703']

gov.uscourts.vaed.262289.34.0 | Separation Of Powers | Public Sphere
Case 1:11-dm-00003-TCB Document 34
Filed 02/14/11 Page 1 of 33
EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Z3 ' ^0 \U P U: 58
Alexandria Division CLERK US DISTRICT COURT ALEXANDRIA. VIRGINIA"*—
§2703(d) ORDER RELATING TO TWITTER ACCOUNTS: WIKILEAKS, ROP_G; IOERROR;
AND BIRGITTAJ
MISC. NO. 10GJ3793 No. 1:11DM3 (Judge Buchanan)
GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON UNSEALING OF
RECORDS FILED UNDER DOCKET NUMBER l:ll-DM-0003
The United States of America, by and through Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney,
Eastern District of Virginia, and John S. Davis and Andrew Peterson, Assistant United States Attorneys, hereby responds to the Court's Order that the Parties identify pleadings that have
been filed under docket number 1:11 -DM-0003 that should remain under seal.1 A proposed
1. Asdetailed below, the government's apjilicatjojLin this matter should remain under
seal. In addition, the Government's Response in Opposition to Motion of Real Parties-inInterest For Unsealing of Sealed Court Records (docket No. 22), and Twitter, Inc.'s Motion for
Clarification (docket No. 24) should remain under seal, but redacted versions of those documents
xIn the government's February 4,2011, Response In Opposition to the Real Parties' In Interest
Motion for Immediate Unsealing of Motions and Upcoming Hearing (Gov't Resp.), the government objected to unsealing the February 15, 2011 hearing as well as the related pleadings,
on the basis that proceedings ancillary to criminal investigations should remain under seal while
the investigation is ongoing. See Gov't Resp. at 4-8. On February 7,2011, the Court ordered that the Real Parties- in-Interestmotions would be unsealed and that the February 15,2011 hearing would be open to the public. On February 9, 2011, the Courtordered that the parties
submit a statement specifying which pleadings in the case should remain sealed. The government maintains that the proceedings, as well as all related pleadings, should remain under seal. To the extent the Court's Order of February 9, 2011 denied this request, however, the governmentsubmits his pleading. Nothing in this position is meant to waive the government's objection, which is renewed, for the reasons stated in its February 4 pleading.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 2 of 33
(Exhibit A and B, attached) may be filed for the public record. The remaining documents may
2. The government's original application under Title 18, Section 2703, referenced in the
December 14,2010 Order ("the Application"), should remain ex parte and under seal for the
reasons stated in the Application, and because the Application sets forth facts and sensitive
details of an ongoing criminal investigation. The government's representations made in the
Application, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2705(b) and Local Crim. Rule 49, as to why it must be
sealed, remain valid. Further, where the unsealing of a document will disclose facts regarding a criminal investigation that are not known to the public, sealing is appropriate. See Va. Dept. of
State Police v. Washington Post, 386 F.3d, 567, 579 (4th Cir. 2004); ACLUv. Holder, 653 F.
Supp. 2d 654,65-66 (E.D. Va. 2009) (sealing appropriate when disclosure woulddisrupt an
ongoing criminal investigation). If the Court requires additional factual information from the government regarding why sealing is appropriate, the government will promptly provide such
reasons to the Court ex parte. 3. The Government's Response in Opposition to Motion of Real Parties in Interest For
Unsealing of Sealed Court Records, currently docketed at #22, should remain under seal.
Nonetheless, a partially redacted version of docket No. 22, attached as Exhibit A, may be filed as partof the public record. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 49.1(d) (court may order filing of redacted version of sealed document for public record). The redacted portions of the government's pleading indicate that, insofar as the proper law to apply to the real parties'-in-interest motion,
they are akin to subjectsof an ongoing criminal investigation. An important reason for
investigative secrecy is that individuals who may be subjects of an investigation butare later
Filed 02/14/11 Page 3 of 33
exonerated should be protected from public exposure. SeeDouglas OilCo. v. Petrol Stops N. W.,
441 U.S. 211,219 (1979). Though some of the real parties-in-interest have soughtto maximize, rather than minimize, the public exposure of this matter, the redacted portions of docket #22
could be construed as statements of the government regarding their status. Regardless of the real
parties'-in-interest subjective beliefs, statements by the government about investigative status are likely to receive special attention. Such information is properly sealed. Cf. E.D. Va. Local
Crim. R. 57.1(b).2
4. Twitter, Inc.'s Motion for Clarification, currently docketed at #24, should remain under seal. Nonetheless, a partially redacted version of docket No. 24, attached as Exhibit B,
may be filed as partof the public record. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 49.1(d) (court may order filing of
redacted version of sealed document for public record). The certificate of serviceattached to
docket Number 24 contains the e-mail address of an Assistant United States Attorney, which
should be redacted. In addition, Exhibit 1 to docket No. 24 consists of this Court's December
14,2010 Order, as well as a fax cover sheet.3 Redaction of personal identifiers and the fax cover
sheet is requested for the following reasons. When the Court's December 14,2010 Order was
first unsealed, this fax cover sheet was posted to the Internet, sparking a campaign of
harassment. To avoid further disruption of investigation resources, such information is properly
2The government does not believe that this requires the sealing ofthe real parties'-in-interest
reply pleadings, as those pleadings contain the real parties'-in-interest characterization of their
status and are not government statements.
3The real parties'-in-interest also attached the Court's December 14, 2010 Order to their
pleadings. However, they omitted the fax cover sheet.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 4 of 33
5. Two other documents that relate to this proceeding do not currently appear on the
docket for case number 1:1l-DM-0003. Those documents are: (1) the Court's December 14,
2010 Order which was previously unsealed; and (2) the government's Motion to Unseal the
Order Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d). The government's motion may be unsealed.
WHEREFORE, for the reasons stated, pursuant to the Court's February 7,2011 Order unsealing the February 15,2011 hearing and the Court's February 9,2011 Order, and subject to the government's objection to unsealing this proceeding and all related pleadings, all documents
filed under case number 1:1 l-DM-0003 may be unsealed, except for the Application and docket
numbers 22 and 24. Redacted versions of docket numbers 22 and 24, attached Exhibits A and B,
may be publicly filed. Finally, the Court may unseal the government's Motion to Unseal the
Order Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d), which does not appear on the docket sheet. A proposed
Assistant United States Attorneys United States Attorney's Office
Filed 02/14/11 Page 5 of 33
IN RE THE MATTER OF THE 2703(d) ORDER RELATING TO TWITTER TWITTER ACCOUNTS WIKILEAKS, ROP_G, IOERROR, AND BIRGITTAJ
Case No.: 1:11-DM-0003
IProposedl ORDER TO SEAL
The UNITED STATES, pursuant to Local Rule 49(B) of the Local Criminal Rules for the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, having renewed its request to
seal the government's application for an Order pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d) ("the
Application"), as well as portions of the records filed at docket #22 and docket #24 under case
number 1:1 l-DM-0003, and
The COURT, having considered the government's submissions, including the facts
presented by the government in the Application and the reasons presented in boththe
Application and subsequent pleadings; having found that revealing the material sought to be
sealed would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation by revealing facts that are not
currently public and revealing the nature and scope of the investigation; having considered the
available alternatives that are less drastic than sealing, and finding none would suffice toprotect the government's legitimate interest in conducting the investigation; and having found that this
legitimate government interest outweighs at this time any interest in the disclosure of the
Further, the COURT, having considered the government's submissions and having found that redaction ofpersonal identifiers is necessary to prevent disruption ofan ongoing criminal
investigation; it is hereby
ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED that, the Application, docket numbers 22 and
Filed 02/14/11 Page 6 of 33
24, the Government's Position on Unsealing filed February 14,2011, and this Order be sealed
until a charging document is filed. All remaining documents filed under 1:1 l-DM-0003 are hereby unsealed. The Clerk of the Court is hereby directed to file redacted versions of docket
numbers 22 and 24.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 7 of 33
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true copy of the foregoing Objection was filed with the Clerk of the Court on February 14,2011, and a copy of this filing was e-mailed to opposing
counsel at the following addresses: John K. Zwerling
Zwerling, Liebig & Moseley, P.C.
108 N.Alfred Street
Johnathan Shapiro Greenspun, Shapiro, Davis, & Leary 3955 Chain Bridge Rd
Stuart@zwerling.com Counsel for Jacob Appelbaum
Nina J. Ginsberg Dimuro Ginsberg P.C. 908 King Street, Suite 200
Js@greenspunlaw.com
Counsel for Birgitta Jonsdottir
nginsberg@dimuro.com Counsel for Rop Gonggrijp
2100 Jamison Avenue
Filed 02/14/11 Page 8 of 33
Filed 02/14/11 Page 9 of 33
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MISC. NO. 10GJ3793
§2703(d) ORDER RELATING TO
No. 1:11DM3 (Judge Buchanan)
WIKILEAKS; ROP_G; IOERROR;
Hearing: February 15,2011
10:30 a.m. UNDER SEAL
GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE IN OPPOSITION TO THE REAL PARTIES' IN INTEREST
MOTION FOR UNSEALING OF SEALED COURT RECORDS
The United States of America, by and through its under-signed counsel, hereby opposes
the motion to unseal. The Parties in Interest (hereinafter the "subscribers") seek to unseal court
documents so that they may identify witnesses in an ongoing criminal investigation and publicly
air the contents of a grand jury investigation. Such a request is preposterous. If an individual
involved in any other criminal case petitioned a court to unseal materials that identified witnesses
or potential witnesses, for the purpose of subjecting the witness to public scrutiny regarding their cooperation with law enforcement, see Mot. of Real Parties In Interest for Unsealing of Sealed
Court Records ("Mot. for Unsealing") at 3, that individual would be laughed out of court. The
sealed materials requested by the subscribers include information about a criminal investigation that is protected from disclosure by an Order of this Court and sound public policy. Those materials are properly sealed, and should remain so until the investigation concludes. Thus, the
subscribers' motion to unseal should be denied.
On December 14, 2010, this Court entered an Order pursuant to Title 18, United States
Filed 02/14/11 Page 10 of 33
Code Section 2703(d), directing Twitter, Inc. to disclose certain non-content records that were
relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation. In the December 14,2010 Order, the
Court found that disclosure of the application or the Order to any person would seriously
jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation. The Court ordered that the application and Order
be sealed until further Order of the Court. On January 5,2011, the Court unsealed the December 14,2010 Order and authorized Twitter, Inc. to disclose the Order to its subscribers and
customers. The January 5,2011, Order stated that "in all other respects," the Court's December
14,2010, Order remained in effect. After the Order was unsealed, it was released by unknown
persons to the media. Intense public scrutiny of the investigation resulted, including calls by one
subject of the Order and various media outlets for potential government witnesses to identify
themselves. See, e.g., Peter Beaumont, "Wikileaks demands Google and Facebook unseal US
subpoenas," The Guardian, January 8,2011, available at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011 /jan/08/wikileaks-calls-google-facebook-us-subpoenas.
A. The Subscribers Lack Standing to Move to Unseal Unspecified Other Orders and Pleadings, and Cannot Manufacture One By Claiming an Otherwise Nonexistent Right to Notice.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 11 of 33
The subscribers seek to elide their lack of injury from a sealing order directed at a third party by simply asking the Court lirst to seek out other sealing orders which they may wish lo
Filed 02/14/11 Page 12 of 33
challenge, and next to vacate them. The subscribers allege this work is necessary so that they can
assert substantive challenges to the underlying orders, if they exist. However, even if the
subscribers' substantive challenge to the December 14,2010 Order had merit, which it does not, there is no corresponding right to notice of other process that has been issued. See S.E.C. v. Jerry
T. O'Brien, Inc., 467 U.S. 735, 750 (1984) (rejecting right to notice of subpoena directed at third
party by target of investigation even though it would "[prevent] some persons under investigation
... from asserting objections to subpoenas ...."); Swearingen, 605 F.2d at 127 (holding target of grand jury investigation has no right to know whether third party has provided evidence
against him or her); United States v. Clem, 210 F.3d 373, 2000 WL 353508, at *5 (6th Cir. Mar.
31, 2000) ("[Defendant] invites us to extend this logic to a constitutional right to receive notice
of grand jury proceedings where a client may wish to assert his [right to quash]. But Clem cites
no cases endorsing such a right, nor does our research reveal any."). The cases cited by the subscribers regarding quashing a subpoena to a third party are
inapposite. (Parties' Mot. For Unsealing at 13-14.) Those cases stand for the proposition that an
organization may sometimes have standing to challenge a third-party subpoena that would reveal
its membership. Here, none of the subscribers is an organization, and none of the subscribers
seeks to vindicate the rights of non-parties to the litigation. Thus, there is no reason why these
cases would override the specific holding in Swearingen. Additionally, none of those cases held that an organization has a right to notice of subpoenas or Orders that had been issued, and this
Court should decline the subscribers' invitation to create one.
B. The Records in This 2703(d) Matter Were Properly Scaled and Are Properly
Maintained Under Seal Until After the Investigation is Concluded.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 13 of 33
The subscribers do not dispute that the scaled records are part of an ongoing criminal
investigation. As noted in the government's Response in Opposition to the subscribers' Motion
for Immediate Unsealing of Motions and Upcoming Hearing ("Gov't Opp. to Mot. For Immediate Unsealing"), the proceedings related to the Court's December 14,2010 Order are properly sealed. The subscribers also seek to unseal any other orders or records related to them.
Those records, to the extent they exist, are also properly sealed. To seal a judicial record, the scaling must be "essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that
interest." See Baltimore Sun, 886 F.2d at 66-67.
"Fair and effective law enforcement... is a fundamental function of government." See Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U.S. 665, 690 (1972). The secrecy of investigations is important for a number of reasons, see Gov't Opp. To Mot. For Immediate Unsealing at 3-5, but "[o]ne important reason for this desire to maintain secrecy is to encourage free and untrammeled
disclosures by persons who have information with respect to the commission of crimes." United
States v. Penrod, 609 F.2d 1092, 1096 (4th Cir. 1979) (internal quotations and citations omitted).
The subscribers' request would identify other witnesses, if any, who the government or the grand
jury had requested to provide evidence. The chilling effect on potential witnesses of such a
disclosure would undermine a fundamental government interest. See In re Grand Jury
Investigation ofCuisinarts, Inc., 665 F.2d 24, 27-28 (2d Cir. 1981) (noting prevention of
influence on potential witnesses is fundamental justification for secrecy of investigations); see
also see In re Grand Jury Subpoena: Subpoena Duces Tecum, 829 F.2d 1291, 1305 (4th Cir.
1987) (Wilkinson, J., concurring) (noting issuance of process serves society's compelling interest in law enforcement). Prior to entering the Order, the Court reviewed the application. Both Local
Filed 02/14/11 Page 14 of 33
Rule 49 and section 2705(b) require that a request for a sealing order state the basis for why
sealing is necessary. The government did so, and the Court's Order specifically found that
disclosure of the application would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation. No further procedure is required. See Media Gen. Operations, Inc. v. Buchanan, 417 F.3d 424,430 (4th
Sealing until the investigation concludes is also narrowly tailored to serve that interest.
The subscribers state that document-by-document redaction and review would betterprotect their interests. To the extent the subscribers seek information regarding the general format of requests
for 2703(d) orders, such information is already publicly available on the Department of Justice's
website. See http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/ssmanual/ 06ssma.html. What the
subscribers actually seek is the factual information within the order. As the Court has already
found, however, the release of that information would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
When the investigation concludes, the need for sealing will be significantly reduced. The
government will move for unsealing at that time.
The subscribers' primary argument in favor of unsealing is not a legal argument. Their
primary argument is thatcontinued sealing of records related to the subscribers is no longer
necessary because anydamage that could occur to the investigation from unsealing those records
has already occurred from the unsealing of this Court's December 14, 2010 Order. However, the
unsealing of the December 14, 2010 Order, revealed very little about the investigation. Itdid not
reveal the targets of the investigation.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 15 of 33
All of this information concerns
subjects the subscribers seek to publicly litigate, and all of this information has been the subject of intense public and media speculation. Such publicity can intimidate or deter witnesses from
coming forward, result in witness collusion, or lead to intimidation of grand jury members. See Douglas Oil Co. v. Petrol Stops N.W., 441 U.S. 211,218 (1979). Such improper influences undermine the integrity and independence of the criminal justice system. See Times Mirror Co.
v. United Slates, 873 F.2d 1210, 1213 (9th Cir. 1989).
Subscribers have not cited a single case that suggests pre-indictment investigative documents should be unsealed in the midst of the investigation. The only case cited by the
subscribers that relates to sealing at all discusses the unsealing of sentencing records, where the
information in the records was made public in the course of a criminal trial, as well as at a public
sentencing hearing. See United States v. James, 663 F. Supp. 2d 1018,1021 (W.D. Wash. 2009). That is not thecase here, where no charges have been filed and an investigation is ongoing.
"[L]aw enforcement agencies must be able to investigate crime without the details of the
investigation being released to the public in a manner that compromises the investigation." Va.
Dept. ofState Police v. Washington Post, 386 F.3d 567, 574 (4th Cir. 2004). C. There Is No First Amendment or Common Law Right To Access Sealed Investigative Materials While an Investigation is Pending. There is no First Amendment right of access to either § 2703(d) orders or the affidavits
Filed 02/14/11 Page 16 of 33
filed in support of them. Neither the Fourth Circuit or the Supreme Court has ever held that there
is a First Amendment right of access to investigative documents or proceedings prior to the filing
of criminal charges. For a First Amendment right of access to a record to exist, (1) the place or
process must have been historically open to the press and public, and (2) public access must play
a significant positive role in the particular process. See Baltimore Sun v. Goetz, 886 F.2d 60, 6364 (4th Cir. 1989). There is nor right to access § 2703(d) orders, as neither necessary factor is
There is no history of openness in § 2703(d) proceedings. Section 2703(d) applications are traditionally submitted ex parte and in camera. In addition, the statute specifically authorizes the government to obtain an order denying notice to anyone, including the public, about the
existence of a § 2703(d) order and application that does not seek the content of any
communications. See 18 U.S.C. § 2705(b). These factors alone are sufficient to defeat the
subscribers' First Amendment challenge. See Baltimore Sun, 886 F.2d at 63; see also Inre Application ofthe N.Y. Times Co. to Unseal Wiretap & Search Warrant Materials, 577 F.3d 401,
410 (2d Cir. 2009) (holding no First Amendment right of access to wiretap materials where
applications were created by statute and statute also had protective scheme); In re Motions of
Dow Jones & Co., 142 F.3d 496, 502-03 (D.C. Cir. 1998) (holding no First Amendment right to access proceedings that are ancillary to a grand jury investigation because they lack a tradition of
However, the subscribers also fail the second portion of the test. Investigations are secret
for a reason - because secrecy is necessary to protect the investigative process. In re Macon
Telegraph Pub. Co., 900 F. Supp. 489, 492 (M.D. Ga. 1995) ("The very nature of...
Filed 02/14/11 Page 17 of 33
investigative proceedings ... is secretive.... The court refuses to find the existence of a right that would in some circumstances possibly destroy institutions (such as the grand jury and warrant issuance processes) so valuable and necessary to society."). Applications for § 2703(d) orders should be kept secret for the same reason search warrant affidavits are kept secret. They
identify witnesses, reveal targets of the investigation, and could allow subjects of the investigation to frustrate the aims of the order by destroying evidence. See Baltimore Sun, 664
F.2d at 64.
The subscribers identify no way in which openness furthers the § 2703(d) process. Rather, they simply state that all judicial processes benefit from openness. While this is undoubtedly true as a general proposition, in the context of pre-indictment investigation a general
benefit from openness is insufficient to overcome society's compelling interest in the secrecy of
investigative proceedings. As the Ninth Circuit noted in Times Mirror:
Appellants essentially argue that any time self-governance or the integrity of the criminal fact-finding process may be served by opening a judicial proceeding and its documents, the First Amendment mandates opening them to the public. Were we to accept this argument, few, if any, judicial proceedings would remain closed. Every judicial proceeding, indeed every governmental process, arguably benefits from public scrutiny to some degree, in that openness leads to a better-informed citizenry and tends to deter government officials from abusing the powers of government. However, complete openness would undermine important values that are served by keeping some proceedings closed to the public. Openness may, for example, frustrate criminal investigations and thereby jeopardize the integrity of the search for truth that is so critical to the fair administration ofjustice.
873 F.2d at 1213; see also Baltimore Sun, 886 F.3d at 64 (citing Times Mirror in denying First
Amendment right of access to search warrant materials).
The common law right of access to judicial records also does not create a right to investigative materials prior to indictment.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 18 of 33
Courts routinely reject such requests. For instance, grandjury materials are typically
protected from disclosure indefinitely. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e). Search warrants need not even be filed until the warrant is returned, see Fed. R. Crim. P. 41(i); E.D. Va. Local R. 49(B), and search warrant affidavits may be sealed to protect an ongoing criminal investigation even after the warrant is relumed. See Baltimore Sun, 886 F.2d at 64 ("[W]hether the papers are sealed
when filed rests in the sound discretion of the judicial officer who issued the warrant."). The
Fourth Circuit has upheld the continued sealing of a search warrant affidavit three years after the search warrant itself was issued. See Media Gen. Operations, 417 F.3d at 430-31; see also
Baltimore Sun, 886 F.2d at 64 ("[TJhe need for sealing [search warrant] affidavits may remain
after execution and in some instances even after indictment."). Court have also denied access to
information regarding wiretaps, even where a witness before the grand jury could use the information to assert a statutory right while testifying before the grand jury, because the marginal
'Subscribers assert that this common law right attaches to the Government's affidavit in
support of a § 2703(d) order as well as the order itself. The Fourth Circuit has held the common law right of access attaches to search warrants and affidavits in support of search warrants. See
Baltimore Sun, 886 F.2d at 63-64. The Fourth Circuit held that because the Fourth Amendment
requires that search warrants be issued only after review by a neutral magistrate and upon probable cause, as well as the requirement of predecessor to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure
41(i) that all search warrant documents be filed with the Clerk of the Court, those records were
"judicial records" within the scope of the privilege. The Constitution does not require any
judicial finding for the records at issue here - indeed the government may obtain this information using a subpoena without involving the court at all. See 18 U.S.C. § 2703(c)(2); United States v.
Clenney. No. 09-5114, slip op. at 11 (4th Cir. Feb. 3, 2011). However, because the records at issue should remain sealed until after the investigation is concluded whether or not the common
law presumption of access applies, the Court need not address whether the common law right of
access applies to the underlying application.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 19 of 33
procedural benefit to the witness would be too disruptive to the investigative process. See In re
Persico, 491 F.2d 1156, 1162 (2d Cir. 1974).
The text and structure of the Stored Communications Act also supports sealing these
records during the pendency of a criminal investigation. The subscribers' claim that the Stored Communications Act docs not include language regarding the sealing of § 2703 orders is simply
incorrect. Section 2705(b) states:
A governmental entity acting under section 2703, when it is not required to notify the subscriber or customer under section 2703(b)(1)... may apply to a court for an order commanding a provider of electronic communications service or remote
computer service to whom a warrant, subpoena, or court order is directed, for such a period as the court deems appropriate, not to notify any other person of the
existence of the warrant, subpoena, or court order.
Here, the government is acting pursuant to § 2703, and is not required to provide notice to the
subscribers. See Gov't Obj. at 12. Thus, the statute specifically authorizes a non-disclosure order. Where a statutory scheme provides protections for the materials at issue, it overrides the
common law right of access. See In re: N.Y. Times, 577 F.3d at 408. The fact that the statute
does not use the word "seal" is irrelevant.
D. Even if the Clerk Did Not Publicly Docket the December 14,2010 Order as a Motion to Seal, the Subscribers Are Not Entitled lo Unsealing.
Finally, the subscribers argue that the December 14,2010 Order should have been
publicly docketed. Initially, there is no right to notice of process issued to third parties. See
SEC, 467 at 751; Clem, 2000 WL 353508, at *5; Swearingen, 605 F.2d at 127. Nor is there a
right to public docketing of investigative proceedings that have historically been conducted
secretly. See In re Seated Case No. 99-3024, 199 F.3d 522, 525 (D.C. Cir. 1998) (holding
proceedings ancillary to grand jury investigations need not be publicly docketed). The fact that an
Filed 02/14/11 Page 20 of 33
order is at issue here, rather than a subpoena, is irrelevant. Indeed, grand jury subpoenas are court orders, enforceable by civil and criminal contempt. See Brown v. UnitedStates, 359 U.S.
41, 48 (1959), overruled on other grounds by Harris v. United Slates. 382 U.S. 162 (1965) ("A
grand jury is clothed with great independence in many areas, but it remains an appendage of the court ... It is the court's process which summons the witness to attend and give testimony, and it
is the court which must compel a witness to testify if, after appearing, he refuses to do so.").
Thus, for the same reason that grand jury process need not be docketed, there is no need to
docket § 2703(d) orders prior to their unsealing.
Even if there is a right to public docketing of § 2703(d) orders, the subscribers are not
entitled to a remedy of the unsealing of any such orders or to notice that other orders were issued
seeking their information. Underthe law of the Fourth Circuit and the rules of this Court, it is
sufficient if an order that results from an investigative proceeding conducted exparte and in
camera be docketed in a way "that indicates its nature as a motion to seal." See Media Gen.
Operations, 417 F.3d at 430; .see also E.D. Va. Local R. 49(B). Here, the subscribers have
received sufficient of the December 14, 2010 Order. It was unsealed and the subscribers have
brought a challenge. That is all to which they are entitled.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 21 of 33
The government will move to unseal the records when the investigation concludes. The
subjects can vindicate their rights, if any, at that time, and the public will have access to any
judicial records. What the subscribers seek is the ability to litigate the investigation prior to its
conclusion. The subscribers' motion should be denied.
Andrew Peterson John S. Davis
Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (703) 299-3700
Filed 02/14/11 Page 22 of 33
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true copy of the foregoing Opposition was filed with the Clerk of the Court on February 7, 2011, and a copy of this filing was e-mailed to opposing counsel at the following addresses: John K. Zwerling
J7.@Zwcrling.com Counsel for Jacob Appclbaum
Js@greenspunlavv.com Counsel for Birgitta Jonsdottir
ACLU of Virginia Foundation, Inc.
530 E. Main Street, Suite 310 Richmond, VA 23219
rglenberg@acluva.org
Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 299-3700 Fax: (703) 299-3982
Filed 02/14/11 Page 23 of 33
Filed 02/14/11 Page 24 of 33
2011 FEB -8 P 3:01
IN THE MATTER OF THE §2703(d) ORDER) Misc. No. 10GJ$WANDRIA. VIRGINIA
RELATING TO TWITTER ACCOUNTS: )
WIKILEAKS; ROP G; IOERROR; AND
FILED UNDER SEAL ORAL ARGUMENT NOT REQUESTED
TWITTER. INC.'S MOTION FOR CLARIFICATION
Twitter, Inc. ('Twitter") hereby submits this Motion for Clarification with respect to its obligations under this Court's Order of December 14,2010. See Exhibit 1 hereto. On December 14,2010, this Court issued a sealed order pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d)
seeking subscriber information and all records and other non-content information for Twitter
accounts Wikileaks, rop_g, ioerror and birgittaj from November 1,2009 to the present. Id On
January 5,2011, upon motion by the government made at the behest ofTwitter, the Court issued
an Order that unsealed the December 14th Order and authorized Twitter to disclose it to its users. See Exhibit 2 hereto.
On or about January 7,2011, Twitter notified its users ofthe December 14th Order. The government agreed that those users would have until January 26th to file any motions or
pleadings in opposition to the Order. Twitter has been informed by the governmentthat users
rop_g, ioerrorand birgittaj have filed motions underseal with this Courtregarding the December
14th Order, while the Wikileaksuser has not Accordingly, the government has requested that
Twitter produce records for the Wikileaks Twitter account. Twitter, however, is concerned that
the motions filed by the other three users may address issues related to their association or
involvement with the user of the Wikileaks 1witter account, or may oWerwise seekTo^wate~the~
Filed 02/14/11 Page 25 of 33
December 14th Order in its entirety. If that is the case, producing records for theWikileaks Twitter account before the pending motions are resolved would prejudice users rop_g, ioerror
and birgittaj. Unfortunately, because the pending motions are sealed, Twitter has nowayto
determine iforto whatextent users ropjg, ioerror and birgittaj may actually be prejudiced by
production oftheWikileaks records. Twitter proposed to the government that theparties agree
to delay production ofthe Wikileaks records until after the pending motions are resolved, butthe
government declined. As an alternative, Twitter requested that thegovernment certify that production of the Wikileaks records would not affect the issues raised by the pending motions,
butthe government declined to reveal the nature ofthose motions because theyare under seal.
Accordingly, Twitteris compelledto seek guidance from the Court. For these reasons, Twitter requests clarification from the Court asto whether it would
best serve the interests ofjustice for Twitter to withhold production of records for theWikileaks
Twitteraccount untilthe pending motions are resolved, orto produce the Wikileaks records
forthwith. Twitter has advised the government of its intent to seek this clarification from the
Court, and both parties agree thereis no need for oral argument atthis time.
DATED this 8th day of February, 2011. Respectfully submitted
JohnJp*ocne"TVSB# 68594)
insVCoie, LLP
700 13thST:, N.W., Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20005-3960
Phone: 202-434-1627 Fax: 202-654-9106
JRoche@perkinscoie.com
Attorneys for Twitter, Inc.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 26 of 33
I hereby certify that on this 8thday of February, 2011, the foregoing document wassentvia
overnight mail and email to the following persons:
United States Attorney's Office Eastern District ofVirginia
600 East Main Street, Suite 1800 Richmond, VA 23219-2447
68594) I, LLP St., N.W., Suite 600
Filed 02/14/11 Page 27 of 33
Filed 02/14/11 Page 28 of 33
DEC. 14.2010 4:14PM
HO. 2530
U.S. Department of Justice UnitedStates Attorney Eastern District ofVirginia
JUtttn W, mUtanuUMHdStaUtAttom/tBvtldlAg
UOOJmtamAmm
AtmmHi. Vlrs0it(i223l4S7M
(703)3994700
FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION COVER PAGE
DATE: &|K|-|lO
to: iWcffcr rtffn? Tru«f ftofetu
PHONB: Q
TOFAXNO.: QtfC) £££ -*&$%
SENDBR;
SENDER'S PHONB NO.:
"703 &>&
SENDER'S FAX NO.: . "^ -W* HB
NUMBER OF PAOES: 4Level of Transmitted Information:
*Notlholuding Cover Page*
EL Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) CL- Limited Official Use (LOU) H Grand Jury Information
D 1-1 n Tax Information Law Enforcement Information Victim Witness Information
WARNING: Information attachedto this coversheet is sensitiveU.S. Oovemment Property.
Ifyou are notthe intended recipient ofmis information, disclosure, reproduotion, distribution, oruse of this information isprohibited. Please notify this office immediately at the above number toarrange for
DEC. 14.2010 4:15PM
Filed 02/14/11 Page 29 of 33
NO. 2530 P. 2/4
IN RE APPLICATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR
AN ORDER PURSUANT TO
MISC.NO. 10OJ3793
18U.S.C.§ 2703(d)
OjgpjE
This matter having come before theCourt pursuant toanapplication under Title 18, United States Code, Section 2703, which application requests theissuance of an order under Title 18,
United States Code, Section 2703(d) directing Twitter, Inc., anelectronic communications service provider and/or aremote computing service, located in San Francisco, California, to
disclosecertain records and other information, as set forth in Attachment A to this Order, the
Court finds thattheapplicant has offered specific and articulable facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe mat therecords or other information sought are relevant and material to anongoing criminal investigation. IT APPEARING that theinformation sought isrelevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation, and that prior notice of this Order to any person of this investigation or this; application and Order entered in connection therewith would seriously jeopardize the
IT IS ORDERED pursuant toTitle 18, United States Code, Section 2703(d) that Twitter, Inc. will,within three days ofthedate ofthis Order, turn over to theUnited States the records
and other information as set forth in Attachment A to this Order.
Filed 02/14/11 Page 30 of 33
NO. 2530 P. 3/4
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that theClerk oftheCourt shall provide theUnited States
Attorney's Office withthree (3)certified copies ofthis application and Order.
ITIS FURTHER ORDERED that theapplication and this Order are sealed until
otherwise ordered by theCourt, and that Twitter shall notdisclose the existence of the
application orthis Order of theCourt, orthe existence of theinvestigation, to thelisted
subscriber orto anyother person, unless and until authorized to do soby theCourt
Filed 02/14/11 Page 31 of 33
Youare toprovide the Mowing information, ifavailable, preferably as data files on CD-ROM, electronic media, or email ftracy.mccormiok/glusdol.pov^ or otherwise by facsimile to703-299-3981:
A. The following customer orsubscriber accoum information for each account registered to or associated with WUdleaks; ropjj; ioerror; birgittaj; Julian Asaange; Bradley Manning; Rop Gongrijp; Birgltta Jonsdottir for thetime period November 1,2009 to present:
1. subscriber names, usernames, screen names, orother identities;
mailing addresses, residential addresses, business addresses, e-mail addresses, and
othercontactInformation;
connection records, orrecords ofsession times and durations;
6*. B.
length of service (including start date) and types of service utilized; telephone or instrument number or other subscriber number or identity, including any
temporarily assigned network address; and means and source of payment for such service (including any credit card orbank account number) and billingrecords.
Allrecords and other information relating to the accounts) and time period inPart A,
records ofuser activity for any connections made,toor from the Account, including the date, time, length, and method ofconnections, data transfer volume, user name,
andsource and destination Internet Protocol address(es);
non-content information associated with thecontents of any communication orfile stored by orfor theaccounts),' such as thesource and destination email addresses and
correspondence and notes of records related to the accounts).
Filed 02/14/11 Page 32 of 33
Filed 02/14/11 Page 33 of 33
JAN -5 201!
CLEHK. US OlST'siCTCOllR"
MISC.NO. 10GJ3793
WIKILEAKS, ROP G; IOERROR;
ORDER TO UNSEAL THE ORDER PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. S2703(D^
This matter having come before the Court pursuant to anapplication under Title 18, United
States Code, §2703(d), it appearing that it is in the best interest of the investigation to unseal the
Court's Orderof December 14,2Q10 and authorize Twitter to disclose that Order to its subscribers
and customers, it is hereby ORDERED that die above-captioned Order of December 14, 2010
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §2703(d) be UNSEALED and that Twitter is authorized to disclose such
Order. In all other respects, the Court's Orderof December 14,2010 remains in effect.
United States Magistrate Jud ge
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