JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A judge has granted a Justice Department motion asking that U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown's lawyers be blocked from releasing discovery material that prosecutors will share with them in her fraud trial.
The DOJ was concerned Brown’s lawyers would release sensitive and private information of victims, witnesses and third parties. Prosecutors wanted to block Brown’s lawyers from “disseminating discovery material for purposes other than the preparation of her defense.”
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A judge agreed and ordered that Brown's attorneys can use the discovery material only for trial preparation.
Brown’s lawyers opposed the protective order, because they haven’t seen the discovery material yet and were upset over leaks to the media about the grand jury that indicted Brown for mail, wire and tax fraud.
The filing said “defense counsel’s view is that defendant Brown should be free to pick and choose materials and information obtained through discovery that she believes rebuts the allegations in the indictment, and then disseminate that information to the public.”
Prosecutors also argued that Brown’s lawyers objected to the order “because it would inhibit Brown’s ability to use criminal discovery as an extra-judicial campaign tool.”
In their letter to the judge opposing the order, Brown’s lawyers noted the timing of the indictment, coming as Brown seeks re-election in a redrawn Congressional district. They said they had asked the DOC to delay unsealing the indictment until after the August primary, but the indictment came last week while Congress was still in session.
The judge's protective order could be modified and will be discussed at a July 26 pretrial hearing.