Ashker v. Newsom
- Claudia Wilken
- 4:09-cv-05796
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Ashker v. Newsom, Judge Illman granted the parties’ joint motion to seal documents containing claimed prison-security information.
The parties and the documents covered by the sealing order were affected. The sealed materials were the June 25, 2021 joint letter concerning retaliation and Exhibits A through D.
What happened
In Ashker v. Newsom, the parties asked to seal a June 25, 2021 joint letter about retaliation and four exhibits. They supported the request with a declaration from Carmen Bremer.
The court found that the documents contained confidential information that defendants claimed could harm institutional safety and security and compromise ongoing investigations of alleged prison gang activity. It found that the parties had shown good cause to seal the materials.
Judge Robert M. Illman granted the joint motion to file the documents under seal on June 28, 2021.
The detailed version
- Ashker v. Newsom · No. 4:09-cv-05796
- Claudia Wilken
- June 28, 2021
Background
The parties filed a joint administrative motion asking the court to seal their June 25, 2021 joint letter concerning retaliation and Exhibits A through D. They submitted a declaration from Carmen Bremer in support of the motion.
Court’s reasoning
Applying Civil Local Rule 79-5(a), the court stated that the parties had shown the documents were entitled to protection because they contained confidential information that defendants claimed could harm California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation institutional safety and security if disclosed. The court also stated that disclosure could further compromise ongoing investigations of alleged prison gang activity. It concluded that the parties had met the required “good cause” standard for sealing the documents.
Disposition
The court granted the joint motion to file under seal. The order did not state that the motion was granted in part or denied in part.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.