Usually it’s the defendant who wants everything sealed.
Steve Bannon Seeks To Have Court Documents In His Contempt Case Released Publicly (lifezette.com)
That’s a bold move. Bannon is basically saying that he believes he can win in the court of public opinion.
According to reports, Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House advisor, is asking for the release of court documents in his contempt of Congress case, claiming that he wants to utilize them in his defense.
Bannon has filed a motion to overturn a district court judge’s customary protective order for discovery, which prevents either party in such cases from publicly revealing these sorts of documents. In a November 25th report from the Washington Post, a statement regarding the effort was shared with the outlet on behalf of Bannon.
“Members of the public should make their own independent judgment as to whether the U.S. Department of Justice is committed to a just result based upon all the facts. In the opposition filed today, Mr. Bannon asked the judge to follow the normal process and allow unfettered access to and use of the documents.”
I’m all in favor of public disclosure. So, I say go for it. It will be interesting to see if the government fights him on this. That would be very telling.
