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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 789 _ Filed 07/22/25 Page2of4
are certain “special circumstances” in which release of grand jury records is appropriate, based
upon a court’s supervisory authority over grand juries it empanels. See In re Craig, 131 F.3d at
102; see also id. at 104 (“The discretion of a trial court in deciding whether to make public the
ordinarily secret proceedings of a grand jury investigation is one of the broadest and most
sensitive exercises of careful judgment that a trial judge can make.”). The Second Circuit has
identified the following as a non-exhaustive list of factors for district courts to weigh in
considering applications for disclosure:
the identity of the party seeking disclosure;
whether the defendant to the grand jury proceeding or the Government opposes
the disclosure;
why disclosure is being sought in the particular case;
what specific information is being sought for disclosure;
how long ago the grand jury proceedings took place;
the current status of the principals of the grand jury proceedings and that of their
families;
the extent to which the desired material—either permissibly or impermissibly—
has been previously made public;
whether witnesses to the grand jury proceedings who might be affected by
disclosure are still alive; and
[whether there is an] additional need for maintaining secrecy in the particular case
in question.
id. at 106 (capitalization altered); see also Laws.’Comm. for 9/11 Inquiry, Inc. v. Garland, 43
F.4th 276, 285 (2d Cir. 2022) (affirming district court’s application of those factors). *
* The Seventh Circuit is in accord that a district court may order the release of grand jury
materials upon a showing of special circumstances. See Carlson v. United States, 837 F.3d 753,
766-67 (7th Cir. 2016). Other circuits have taken a narrower view of a court’s authority to order
such relief. See, e.g., McKeever v Barr, 920 F.3d 842, 843, 850 (D.C. Cir. 2019), cert denied,
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DOJ-OGR-00015048
Extracted Information
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00015048.jpg |
| File Size | 696.6 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.0% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 1,993 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 18:52:12.579026 |