United States Ninth Circuit

In proceedings involving the unsealing of documents relating to individuals who ran a drug cartel in Mexico, an order unsealing the transcript of a plea colloquy, a plea agreement's "cooperation addendum", and the documents supporting a motion to seal the plea proceedings is affirmed in part, vacated in part and remanded where: 1) the public has no right of access to certain documents; 2) the district court did not abuse its discretion in unsealing portions of the documents that describe defendant's cooperation; but 3) the district court did abuse its discretion in unsealing portions that describe other people in danger.

Appellate Information

• Argued 08/06/2007
• Decided 03/04/2008
• Published 03/04/2008

Judges

• KOZINSKI, Chief Judge:, Before: ALEX KOZINSKI, Chief Judge, DOROTHY W. NELSON and JOHNNIE B. RAWLINSON, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Vijay Shanker, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC;  Karen P. Hewitt, U.S. Attorney and Laura E. Duffy, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Los Angeles, CA, for the plaintiff-appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Guylyn R. Cummins, Harold W. Fuson, Jr., Judith L. Fanshaw and Scott A. Wahrenbrock, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, San Diego, CA, for the intervenor-appellee.