Judge Perry Orders Sealed Hearing on 3 Redacted Transcripts in Broadview Six Case
Updated
Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · May 20
Judge Perry Orders Sealed Hearing on 3 Redacted Transcripts in Broadview Six Case
3 articles · Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · May 20
Thursday’s sealed hearing will force any prosecutor involved in redacting three grand jury transcripts to explain that decision, after Judge April Perry reviewed an unredacted version days before a trial set for Tuesday.
The dispute centers on transcripts from October grand jury sessions tied to a felony conspiracy charge that prosecutors later dropped, leaving four defendants to face misdemeanor counts of impeding an ICE agent.
Defense lawyers argue the redactions may conceal problems that tainted the case, while prosecutors have called that claim speculative and said nothing unusual or nefarious occurred.
Perry said the hearing must be closed to protect grand jury secrecy and avoid tainting the jury pool, but her order also raises fresh doubt about whether the Broadview Six trial will proceed on schedule.
The case is the second Operation Midway Blitz prosecution this year to wobble just before trial, after a separate January case ended in a quick acquittal.
Will a secret hearing reveal prosecutorial misconduct and collapse another federal case in Chicago?
How did a federal operation cost a small suburb over $700,000 and inspire a civil rights museum?