Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order Sunday temporarily staying (stopping, blocking) a contempt citation against a firm, as well as an escalating financial penalty a judge imposed for failing to comply with the subpoena.
The firm filed a stay petition at the Supreme Court on Saturday. Roberts did not grant the motion but issued what appears to be a temporary stay designed to allow the court to consider whether to wade into the fight. He ordered the government to file a response by Dec. 31 at noon.
The identity of the firm and the foreign country at issue remain a mystery, but POLITICO first reported earlier this year that the dispute appeared to involve Mueller’s prosecutors. A POLITICO reporter stationed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals clerk’s office in October heard a person connected to the appeal request a copy of the special counsel’s latest filing in the case.
When the case was argued at the D.C. Circuit earlier this month, the courtroom was closed to the public. Court personnel went to unusual lengths to preserve the secrecy, ordering journalists to leave the floor where lawyers were presenting their positions.
Views: 9
