Patrick J. Fitzgerald

“ Following each ruling in the lower courts, the Special Counsel agreed to a stay of the civil contempt sanctions imposed after the reporters and Time, Inc. refused to comply with court orders to allow them to fully pursue their appeals. Today, the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal, which allows the decision of the lower courts to stand, preserving the legal precedent it established more than 30 years ago. ”

“ Today the Court of Appeals affirmed that reporters do not have a First Amendment privilege to refuse to comply with a grand jury subpoena issued in good faith. The Court was clear that this has been the law since the Supreme Court decided the Branzburg case in 1972. All three members of the Court also agreed that, even if a qualified privilege exists, the government has shown critical need for the reporters to comply with the subpoenas in this case. ”

“ Now that the legal obligations of the reporters are settled and all appeals exhausted, we look forward to resuming our progress in this investigation and bringing it to a prompt conclusion on behalf of the citizens we represent. ”