Opinion ID: 185071
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Public Docketing of All Ancillary Grand Jury Proceedings

Text: 15 We begin by noting the extraordinary nature of appellants' request: mandatory public docketing of grand jury ancillary proceedings is virtually unknown in the federal courts. Appellants concede that they can point to no practice in the federal courts imposing such a requirement on district courts.And the decision in Dow Jones plainly establishes that there is no constitutional, statutory, or common law principle requiring such public docketing. 16 Appellants argue that, despite the absence of legal authority, we should take the uncharted step of imposing a requirement of public docketing on our District Court, because the courts have upheld rights of public docketing and access in other situations not involving grand jury matters. See Br. for Appellants at 15-17. It is true that the courts have required public docketing in some judicial proceedings. See, e.g., United States v. Valenti, 987 F.2d 708, 715 (11th Cir. 1993) (finding a public docket was necessary to protect the public's and the media's constitutional rights of access to criminal proceedings); Washington Post v. Robinson, 935 F.2d 282, 289 (D.C. Cir. 1991) (holding that motions to seal plea agreements, for which there is a First Amendment right of access, must be publicly docketed); In re State-Record Co., 917 F.2d 124, 128-29 (4th Cir. 1990) (requiring public docketing of a criminal proceeding because of the constitutional right of access); Webster Groves Sch. Dist. v. Pulitzer Publ'g Co., 898 F.2d 1371, 1377 (8th Cir. 1990) (ordering court to produce a redacted public docket of a sealed case to protect at least a common law right of access); Stone v. University of Maryland Med. Sys. Corp., 855 F.2d 178, 181 (4th Cir. 1988) (requiring district court to maintain a public docket where parties have at least a common law right of access to proceedings); In re Knoxville News-Sentinel Co., 723 F.2d 470, 47576 (6th Cir. 1983) (admonishing district court to publicly docket motions to seal proceedings where there is at least a common law right of access). However, this legal authority does not hold, or even suggest, that there must also be public docketing of grand jury ancillary proceedings. As appellants readily concede, the grand jury context is unique. It is because of their unique status that grand jury processes are not amenable to the practices and procedures employed in connection with other judicial proceedings. 17 There is a plethora of authority recognizing that the grand jury context presents an unusual setting where privacy and secrecy are the norm. See, e.g., Douglas Oil Co. v. Petrol Stops Northwest, 441 U.S. 211, 218 (1979); In re Sealed Case, 151 F.3d 1059, 1069-71 (D.C. Cir. 1998). Indeed, as the Supreme Court has noted, the grand jury is not even a part of the judicial system. See United States v. Williams, 504 U.S. 36, 47 (1992) ([T]he grand jury is an institution separate from the courts.). The theory of its function is that it belongs to no branch of the institutional Government, serving as a kind of buffer or referee between the Government and the people. Id. That function depends on maintain[ing] the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings in the federal courts. United States v. Procter & Gamble Co., 356 U.S. 677, 681 (1958). As the Court noted, [s]ince the 17th century, grand jury proceedings have been closed to the public, and records of such proceedings have been kept from the public eye. Douglas Oil, 441 U.S. at 218 n.9. 18 Unlike typical judicial proceedings, grand jury proceedings and related matters operate under a strong presumption of secrecy. See In re Sealed Case, 151 F.3d at 1069-71 (holding that the sanctity of the grand jury process justified an exception to the general rule of discovery in civil proceedings); Globe Newspaper Co. v. Pokaski, 868 F.2d 497, 509-10 (1st Cir. 1989) (holding that blanket sealing of all grand jury records was justified, because grand jury context, unlike other judicial proceedings, is presumptively closed); In re Subpoena to Testify Before Grand Jury Directed to Custodian of Records, 864 F.2d 1559, 1563 (11th Cir. 1989) (holding that the rule of holding an open hearing before deciding to close proceedings did not apply in the grand jury context).The cases cited by appellants, involving situations other than grand jury ancillary proceedings, are therefore inapposite. 19 In the instant case, involving grand jury ancillary proceedings, appellants have a limited right of access pursuant to Rule 6.1. As noted above, Rule 6.1 provides that when continued secrecy is not necessary to prevent disclosure of matters occurring before the grand jury, ancillary proceedings may be made public. L.Cr.R. 6.1. The District Court has held that a mandatory public docket is not required by the rule, and that to impose such a rule would be unduly burdensome. We have no good reason to second-guess the District Court's interpretation of its own rule, especially since we review the District Court's decision for abuse of discretion. See Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Bender, 127 F.3d 58, 67 (D.C. Cir. 1997) (reviewing District Court's decision under local rule for abuse of discretion). It cannot be said here that the District Court abused its discretion in failing to promulgate a generic rule, beyond the compass of Rule 6.1, requiring a public docket for all grand jury ancillary proceedings. Accordingly, the judgment of the District Court is affirmed on this point. 20