Digital Media and Data Privacy Law Blog

Last week, as reported by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg denied a request to stay an order of the Connecticut Supreme Court ordering the disclosure of more than 12,000 documents filed in 23 now-settled lawsuits involving allegations of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. 

The emergency request for stay to the U.S. Supreme Court followed the Connecticut Supreme Court’s decision in Rosado v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp. in June 2009. In Rosado, the defendants (the diocese and certain individual clergy members ... Read More 

In a stunning move of questionable constitutionality, a federal court in late July conducted an entire two-day trial behind closed doors, with no access to the public or media “from the swearing in of the first witness through closing arguments.”  As the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press reported, even the judge’s ruling was filed under seal.

The highly unusual move came in a trial involving a civil suit filed against the federal government by the family of a Jewish Defense League activist Earl Krugel who was beaten to death by white supremacists while in federal ... Read More 

The United States has a long-standing commitment to openness in all branches of government.  Among these principles is the presumption that judicial proceedings should be open for observation.  Despite this presumption, there is no absolute right of access to all judicial proceedings or judicial documents, and plaintiffs, defendants, and third parties (such as the reporters) occasionally disagree about what kinds of information should be available to the public.

Sometimes there is a question whether plaintiffs in civil lawsuits must identify themselves by their real names or ... Read More