On March 29, Special Counsel Jack Smith recently a federal judge to approve redactions to filings made by a co-defendant of former President Donald Trump via The Epoch Times.
It has been noted that the briefs submitted by Walt Nauta, the co-defendant, contain information that should not be made public, Mr. Smith told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.
That includes the names of people that government officials may call as witnesses in a trial, the special counsel, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, said.
The Chicago Tribune case which was decided in 2001 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, hinged on a federal rule that enables keeping information secret if there is “good cause” to do so.
“Federal courts have superimposed a balancing of interests approach for Rule 26’s good cause requirement,” that ruling stated. “This standard requires the district court to balance the party’s interest in obtaining access against the other party’s interest in keeping the information confidential.”
Mr. Smith also wants redacted, in addition to the names of potential government witnesses, “any pronouns revealing their gender,” according to the new filing.
The special counsel has requested that details regarding sealed grand jury proceedings be kept confidential. This includes one proceeding that took place prior to his appointment. The proposed redactions are a result of Judge Cannon, who was appointed by President Trump, outlining a schedule for the parties involved in the case with regards to redactions.
