18 news outlets ask court to release filings in Meadows lawsuit against Jan. 6 committee

Eighteen news outlets have asked a court to publicly release the filings from former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’s lawsuit against the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. 

In a court filing Monday, the media outlets asked for sealed documents, including a May 2 court order, to be released to the public, writing that they are subject to the “First Amendment and common law rights of access.”

Meadows has provided the Jan. 6 panel with a trove of documents but continues to fight against its authority, including refusing to sit for an interview.

The outlets seeking court documents filed under seal in his case include ABC News, CNN, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and The Associated Press. 

“These filings (together, the ‘Sealed Records’) are all subject to the First Amendment and common law rights of access. The public docket provides no explanation as to why, despite the strong presumption of transparency in this Circuit, these judicial records are not available to the public,” the court filing said. “The Court should therefore permit the Press Coalition to intervene and grant its motion for access to the Sealed Records.” 

The coalition also wrote in its court filing that Meadow’s court filing with the Jan. 6 committee should be public, noting that the committee’s goal is “to establish a public reckoning of that event.” 

“The January 6 assault on the Capitol was a public event. The House Select Committee is making an effort to establish a public reckoning of that event,” the coalition wrote in its filing. “This Court should likewise conduct its work on this historic matter in full public view.” 

Last month, the House committee asked a federal judge to enforce its subpoena against Meadows, arguing that he had been warned of potential violence ahead of the riot.