News/Media Alliance Joins Brief in Support of Right to Unseal Judicial Documents in Recently Closed Cases

On August 9, 2024, the News/Media Alliance joined an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in support of the non-profit digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) motion to unseal records in a patent lawsuit. The case Entropic Communications v. Charter Communications, which was closed in December 2023, involved a dispute between a semiconductor company and a phone and internet service provider. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas denied EFF's motion to intervene and unseal those records, stating that the passage of five months rendered the motion untimely and prejudicial.

The brief, led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and joined by 19 media organizations, argues that the District Court erred in denying EFF's motion to intervene. Journalist's and media organization's rights to judicial documents have long been upheld in courts across the country because they are considered vital documents in investigative journalism, which aims to protect and inform the public. Additionally, the brief argues that the motion was filed in a timely manner, as evidenced by an overwhelming amount of case law that demonstrates a history of recognizing the right for the press to intervene to unseal judicial records "months, years, and even decades later." Read more