SCOTUS Denies Appeal (re:Mueller & Company A)

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The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from a mystery company over a grand jury subpoena tied to special counsel Robert Mueller’s now completed Russia probe.

The justices gave no explanation for denying the request that was submitted by the company, and there were no notable dissents from the nine-member court. It takes four justices to agree to hear a case.

The federal grand jury subpoena, which is being kept under seal along with related court filings, seeks information from a corporation owned by a foreign government, known in court filings only as “Country A.”

The Supreme Court in January refused to block the contempt order, which forced the company to comply with the subpoena.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld the order holding the company in contempt despite its arguments that it was immune from the subpoena under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and that the subpoena is unreasonable and oppressive because it would force the corporation to violate domestic law.

The company, which said in redacted court filings that it was a witness in the investigation, argued it was entitled to sovereign immunity from the subpoena and that U.S. courts have no criminal jurisdiction over foreign states.

In refusing to turn over the requested information, the company faces $50,000 per day in fines.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday comes just days after Mueller delivered his completed report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to Attorney General William Barr.

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