re: A three-judge panel of the DC Appeals has issued an emergency stay blocking GJ release

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A federal circuit court on Tuesday evening temporarily blocked the release of grand jury materials from former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling in the 2016 election.

A three-judge panel, all Obama appointees to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, suspended a lower court’s Wednesday deadline in order to give the judge in that case — Chief Judge Beryl Howell — extra time to consider the merits of a recent DOJ request.

The DOJ on Monday asked Howell, an Obama appointee to the U.S. District Court in Washington, to hold off enforcing her pivotal ruling last week which ordered the agency to provide the documents to the House Judiciary Committee by Wednesday. DOJ's broader request to Howell is that she suspend her order indefinitely while the Trump administration formally asks the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reconsider whether it must disclose the grand jury materials to Congress at all.

The appeals court in their ruling today said the purpose of its stay was to give Howell “sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion” by DOJ. The judges noted that their temporary suspension of the lower court’s deadline “should not be construed” as a ruling on the merits of the agency’s request.

The appellate court order means the Mueller grand jury materials will continue to be shielded from House Democrats’ view for the time being.

The Democratic impeachment inquiry may key in on themes that Mueller explored in his nearly two-year investigation: President Trump’s possible obstruction of justice and his campaign’s interactions with Russia during the 2016 election. If so, the fight over access to Mueller’s grand jury materials, as well as related exhibits and transcripts, could help shape the course of the inquiry.

LINK

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This whole thing isn’t about a single phone call

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