Judge denies news outlets access to mine disaster inquiry

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_7128129

Saying previous court rulings do not apply, a judge on Tuesday denied news outlets' attempts to gain access to federal investigative hearings on the Crandall Canyon mine disaster.

U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson said he could "find nothing in the Constitution or in the statutes of the United States to support" the forced opening of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration's interviews with miners and others with knowledge of the two collapses that claimed nine lives.

Benson also said that element of the investigation presents different circumstances than previous court rulings cited by the news outlets.

Tribune editor Nancy Conway said the news outlets had not decided whether to appeal the ruling or pursue another way to gain access to the interviews. Conway said the options could include speaking to Utah's congressional delegation about the issue and lobbying for a change to federal law to require the investigation be held in public.

"We thought this was clearly in the public interest and we thought we had some good basis for thinking that," Conway said.

The Tribune, the Deseret Morning News, The Associated Press, CNN and other news outlets filed suit Oct. 1 against U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao for access to MSHA's fact-finding meetings. The organizations cited rulings granting access to testimony in criminal trials and the investigation into the 1984 Wilberg mine disaster. Benson rebuffed those arguments.


FULL story at link.

[niyad]

1. WHO appointed this idiot to the court?

[zbdent]

2. Must be some national security issues ...

sarcasm off now ...

:eyes:

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Which naturally raises the question ... WHAT ARE THEY HIDING ?

As it always does.