Court Opinion

ID: 9459487
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 21:21:53.063965+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:10.981276
License: Public Domain

HAYS, Circuit Judge
(dissenting):
Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure forbids disclosure of grand jury proceedings with certain carefully limited exceptions. My broth*494ers concede that the present situation does not present a ease for the application of any of the exceptions specified in the Rule. They have, without the support of any authority in the statute or the case law, created another exception, applicable to the situation where a witness waives the secrecy requirement by seeking release of the grand jury minutes. I do not believe that we have power to legislate this additional exception and I therefore respectfully dissent.
SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION
FRIENDLY, Chief Judge, with whom JAMESON, District Judge, joins:
Now that Representative Biaggi’s grand jury testimony has been made public, we are relieved of the handicaps, noted in our initial opinion, at 493, which impeded full explanation of the grounds for and limits of our decision.
It is now apparent that Mr. Biaggi’s request for a review of his grand jury testimony by one or more district judges “for the sole purpose of determining whether or not I took the Fifth Amendment privilege or any other privilege on my personal finances and assets” was framed, whether wittingly or not, in such a manner as to create a false impression in light of the publicity that had given rise to it. As can be seen from the grand jury testimony, the answer to the precise question propounded in all likelihood would have had to have been in the negative. Yet the New York Times article had reported that Mr. Biaggi had stated in an interview, and had assured the Conservative Party when it was considering him as its nominee for the mayoralty, that he had fully answered all questions before the grand jury. The minutes show that, in fact, he had refused to answer seventeen. When Mr. Biaggi sought a full disclosure, although with the names of other persons named in the questions and answers unredacted, he waived his rights to have the minutes remain secret, and the public interest required that the request be granted with proper protection to the persons named.
Our decision should therefore not be taken as demanding, or even authorizing, public disclosure of a witness’ grand jury testimony in every case where he seeks this and the Government consents. It rests on the exercise of a sound discretion under the special circumstances of this case.