Federal Judge Should Unseal Surveillance Records, DC Circuit Rules
A federal judge should unseal electronic surveillance orders and other records in closed investigations, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday. BuzzFeed News reporter Jason Leopold and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sought to…
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unseal “electronic surveillance orders and related filings in closed investigations.” In a unanimous decision, Judges Merrick Garland, David Tatel and Senior Judge Laurence Silberman reversed a decision by Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell. “The public’s right of access to judicial records is a fundamental element of the rule of law,” Garland wrote for the court. Leopold sought information on pen registers and trap-and-trace devices, which capture metadata from phone calls and messages. DOJ didn't comment.