Opinion ID: 2548547
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The District Court's Order is a Prior Restraint on Publication of Lawfully Obtained Information

Text: The Recipients contend that the District Courts order forbidding publication of the information contained in the in camera transcripts constitutes a prior restraint. In this respect, we agree with Recipients, and they are entitled to the heavy presumption against the constitutionality of a prior restraint. An accidental leak of privileged information does not necessarily entitle a court to punish or impose a secrecy order upon the media. See, e.g., Landmark Communications, Inc. v. Virginia, 435 U.S. 829, 98 S.Ct. 1535, 56 L.Ed.2d 1 (1978); Procter & Gamble Co. v. Bankers Trust Co., 78 F.3d 219 (6th Cir.1996). We also agree with Recipients that their acquisition of the transcripts was not illegal. Absent the prior court order, the statute, and the subsequent court order, Recipients would be free to publish the contents. See, e.g., Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514, 528, 121 S.Ct. 1753, 149 L.Ed.2d 787 (2001) (emphasizing and citing N.Y. Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713, 91 S.Ct. 2140, 29 L.Ed.2d 822 (1971), for the proposition that a court must focus on the document's character and the consequences of public disclosure rather than the origin of the documents).