United States Sixth Circuit

The Government's blanket closure of deportation hearings in "special interest" cases violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which confers a public right of access to the hearings.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/26/2002
• Published 08/26/2002

Judges

• Before KEITH and DAUGHTREY, Circuit Judges;  CARR, District Judge.

Court

• United States Sixth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Herschel P. Fink (argued and briefed), Brian D. Wassom (briefed), Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn, Detroit, MI, for Detroit Free Press, Inc., Jonathan Rowe (briefed), Soble & Rowe, Ann Arbor, MI, for Herald Co., Inc., Lee Gelernt (argued and briefed), American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, New York, NY, Leonard M. Niehoff (briefed), Butzel Long, Ann Arbor, MI, Michael J. Steinberg (briefed), Kary L. Moss (briefed), American Civil Liberties Union Fund of Michigan, Detroit, MI, for Detroit News Inc., Gregory G. Katsas (argued and briefed), U.S. Dept. of Justice, Tort Branch, Civ. Div., Robert M. Loeb (briefed), Sharon Swingle (briefed), U.S. Dept. of Justice, Civ. Div., App. Sec., Eric D. Miller (briefed), U.S. Dept. of Justice, App. Staff, Civ. Div., Washington, DC, for John Ashcroft.