New York Times objects to gag order on Sam Bankman-Fried leading up to trial

1 year ago

On Aug. 3, the New York Times raised objections against interim and imaginable aboriginal gag orders imposed connected Sam Bankman-Fried, the erstwhile CEO of FTX, who is charged with aggregate felonies successful transportation with the exchange’s alleged mismanagement and eventual collapse.

In a tribunal filing, the NYT said that tribunal orders restricting code indispensable travel ineligible standards. It added that immoderate specified bid indispensable support the public’s First Amendment close to beryllium informed of FTX’s collapse, which it called a “scandal that stripped billions of dollars from the system and harmed innumerable members of the public.”

The NYT argued that the limitations connected speech, peculiarly those imposed connected non-legal professionals similar Bankman-Fried, should beryllium nether stricter scrutiny compared to those applied to ineligible counsel.

The institution cited 2 ineligible provisions to this end. First, it cited a regularisation concerning orders aimed astatine ineligible counsel. This regularisation says that lawyers and ineligible firms should not merchandise accusation if doing truthful volition apt interfere with a just proceedings oregon effect successful prejudice.

The different rule, which lone applies to non-lawyers, allows the tribunal to contented an bid controlling code erstwhile immoderate statements are “likely to interfere with the rights of the accused to a just proceedings by an impartial jury.” The NYT asserted that restrictions are lone permissible if the rights of the accused are astatine hazard — thing that does not look to beryllium the lawsuit arsenic Bankman-Fried chose to stock accusation voluntarily.

NYT expresses further objections

Furthermore, the NYT raised objections against a connection made by the authorities prosecutors. The authorities antecedently said that the defendant, Bankman-Fried, has a close to talk to the property but that helium tin lone marque statements successful his ain defense. The NYT asserted that this is “not the standard” careless of the proviso successful question.

The NYT clarified that their study connected Caroline Ellison, CEO of Alameda Research and an progressive enactment successful the FTX scandal, was purely informative and not intended to power the case. It said that the nationalist has a morganatic involvement successful Ellison’s actions that is abstracted from the lawsuit against Bankman-Fried, arsenic Ellison has admitted to participating successful FTX’s affairs.

The NYT was solely acrophobic with the gag order. It did not straight code whether its sum could sway witnesses oregon imaginable jurors and whether this could merit a revocation of Bankman-Fried’s bail, arsenic prosecutors person suggested.

Others person expressed akin objections to secrecy astir the case. Inner City Press said that the documents astir the substance should not stay nether seal. Legal student Laurence H. Tribe besides objected to immoderate gag bid successful a caller filing.

The station New York Times objects to gag bid connected Sam Bankman-Fried starring up to trial appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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