Opinion ID: 202116
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Grand Jury Leaks

Text: 82 There was no error in the district court's initial actions in response to leaks to the media, namely, asking the U.S. Attorney to have the FBI and DOJ investigate the matter. 15 The protective order issued on May 7, 2004, applicable to both sides, was also proper. However, the court's actions in launching an investigation of the government as a source of the pre-indictment leaks, more than a year after the leaks had stopped and after a decision had been made de facto not to investigate leaks further, were unjustified in this context. 83 The purposes served by the grand jury secrecy rule did not justify the court's actions. These purposes include encouraging prospective witnesses to come forward and testify fully and frankly to the grand jury, without improper influence in the form of threats or inducements; preventing targets of grand jury investigation from being alerted to the scrutiny and fleeing, or attempting to influence grand jurors or witnesses; and assuring that those who are investigated but not indicted are saved from public ridicule. Douglas Oil Co. v. Petrol Stops Nw., 441 U.S. 211, 218-19, 99 S.Ct. 1667, 60 L.Ed.2d 156 (1979). The issue is quite different when the grand jury, as here, has returned the indictment. See id. at 218-19, 222 (interests served by grand jury secrecy are reduced after indictment); 1 Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure § 106, at 365-66 (3d ed.1999). Once the indictment is public, these concerns are largely gone. 84 We disagree that there was, at the time of the district court's December 15, 2005 justification, a basis for investigating further. The court found that the media reports established there were leaks; that the articles indicated that the source of the information was someone covered by the secrecy rule, such as a federal source; and that the nature of the leaked information indicated that the government was the source. The court said it must assume that all statements in the news reports were correct, rejecting as immaterial the government's point that the articles were inaccurate in part and speculative in part. 16 The court concluded that the inference of government misconduct remained unrebutted. 85 While these factors may have justified the issuance of the May 7, 2004 protective order, they did not thereafter, absent new information, justify the further investigation of government misconduct, justified by the district court for the first time on December 15, 2005. The district court as well had apparently concluded there was no basis for further action after the May 7, 2004 protective order, and for good reason. Most importantly, the government had twice referred the matter to independent DOJ officials for investigation, and they had found nothing. Further, the indictment had issued, minimizing any harm. Moreover, there were a number of possible sources, particularly given the acoustical problems with the grand jury room. And not all individuals with knowledge of matters occurring before a grand jury are forbidden from disclosing their knowledge. 17 86