Opinion · Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

In re Search Warrant for Secretarial Area Outside Office of Gunn

855 F.2d 569

Type
Opinion
Court
Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Jurisdiction
Federal
Date
1988-08-26
Topic
general

How later courts describe this case

  • holding that the public has a qualified First Amendment right of access to warrant materials, even while an investigation is ongoing
  • holding that the government’s interest in protecting the integrity of its on-going investigation. outweighed common law and First Amendment right of access
  • holding that for pre-indictment sealing of a search warrant the government must show “specific, on the record findings” that demonstrate that sealing is “essential” and “narrowly tailored” (quotation omitted)
  • stating that warrant materials are “important to the public’s understanding of the function and operation of the judicial process and the criminal justice system and may operate as a curb on prosecutorial or judicial misconduct”
  • finding “line-by-line” redactions of sealed documents “not practical” where “[v]irtually every page contained] multiple references” to sensitive information
  • applying experience and logic test and holding that "the first amendment right of public access does extend to the documents filed in support of search warrant applications”
  • applying a "substantial probability” standard of proof in determining whether the Government had demonstrated that it was proper for the district court to seal the documents in question
  • discussing redaction in con.nection with the First Amendment right of access

Citator

UpLaw has not yet analyzed In re Search Warrant for Secretarial Area Outside Office of Gunn. The absence of a flag is not a finding that it is good law.

Authority status
pending
Cited by
74 opinions