Opinion ID: 727366
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: public proceedings issues.

Text: 19 A. McDougal urged the district court to grant her a fully public hearing on OIC's application to hold her in civil contempt. Consistent with Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e), the court ruled that any testimony or argument that would disclose the substance of the secret grand jury proceedings must be submitted in camera, but the remainder of the hearing would be conducted in open court. In the hearing that followed, McDougal read her statement criticizing the motives and prior conduct of OIC attorneys in open court. Thus, the principal effect of this ruling was to keep in camera the specific questions McDougal was asked and refused to answer in the grand jury room. 20 On appeal, McDougal contends that the district court's ruling violated her right under the Public Trial Clause of the Sixth Amendment as construed in In re Oliver, 333 U.S. 257, 68 S.Ct. 499, 92 L.Ed. 682 (1948). Initially, we note that both the Sixth Amendment and In re Oliver concern the rights of criminal defendants, whereas McDougal has been held in civil contempt. This is a key distinction--McDougal has not been irretrievably deprived of her liberty; she may end her incarceration at any time simply by agreeing to testify. Because civil contempt sanctions are viewed as nonpunitive and avoidable, fewer procedural protections for such sanctions have been required. International Union, United Mine Workers v. Bagwell, 512 U.S. 821, ----, 114 S.Ct. 2552, 2559, 129 L.Ed.2d 642 (1994). 21 McDougal correctly asserts that many interests implicated in criminal contempt proceedings are also present here, including the need to assure accountability in the exercise of judicial and governmental power, the preservation of the appearance of fairness, and the enhancement of the public's confidence in the judicial system. In re Rosahn, 671 F.2d 690, 697 (2nd Cir.1982). Balancing the considerations favoring public civil contempt hearings against the well-recognized need for grand jury secrecy, 6 both the Second Circuit in Rosahn and the Third Circuit in In re Grand Jury Matter, 906 F.2d 78, 86-87 (3rd Cir.1990), have concluded that civil contempt proceedings of this kind should be closed to the public only when substantive grand jury matters are being disclosed. In our view, these decisions are consistent with the Supreme Court's discussion of the issue in Levine v. United States, 362 U.S. 610, 618, 80 S.Ct. 1038, 1043-44, 4 L.Ed.2d 989 (1960): 22 Petitioner had no right to have the general public present while the grand jury's questions were being read.... Having refused to answer each question in turn, and having resolved not to answer at all, petitioner then might well have insisted that, as summary punishment was to be imposed, the courtroom be opened so that the act of contempt, that is, his definitive refusal to comply with the court's direction to answer the previously propounded questions, and the consequent adjudication and sentence might occur in public. 23 We conclude the district court did not abuse its discretion in adopting the above approach in this case. The district court expressly advised McDougal that federal law does not prohibit a grand jury witness from publicly disclosing grand jury proceedings to which the witness has been privy, and the record reflects that McDougal has extensively exercised that prerogative. The only restriction the district court placed on that freedom was to prevent the public portion of these contempt proceedings from violating the grand jury secrecy precepts of Rule 6(e). In so ruling, the court correctly balanced the interests of the grand jury, witness McDougal, and the public. 24 B. When this appeal commenced, we directed that all materials be filed under seal, consistent with Eighth Circuit policy regarding on-going grand jury matters. On September 20, OIC moved that any oral argument be open to the public and that our file be unsealed, except for those portions which contain in camera proceedings in the district court. Consistent with her argument on appeal, McDougal responded that our entire file should be unsealed. 25 We grant OIC's motion for the reasons stated in upholding the district court's ruling on this issue. We direct OIC, working with our Clerk of Court, to substitute for our current sealed file a public file, redacted to exclude portions of the record that disclose substantive grand jury proceedings, supplemented by a filing under seal that contains all redacted portions of the briefs and record on appeal. After an unsealed public file has been created in this fashion, counsel for McDougal may challenge by motion OIC's decision as to the portions of our file which should remain under seal. 26 The order of the district court is affirmed.