PA Office of AG v. Supervising Judge of the 35th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania·Decided August 26, 2015·No. 171 MM 2014·Published

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA MIDDLE DISTRICT

PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF : No. 171 MM 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL, :

:

Petitioner :

:

:

v. :

:

:

SUPERVISING JUDGE OF THE THIRTY- : FIFTH STATEWIDE INVESTIGATING : GRAND JURY, :

:

Respondent :

ORDER

PER CURIAM AND NOW, this 26th day of August, 2015, upon the request of the supervising judge for removal of the seal from all matters involving the 35th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury and the investigation of Attorney General Kathleen Kane which have been lodged in this Court, save for grand jury materials such as testimony, exhibits, and in camera proceedings, and based on the supervising judge’s assurance that there are no present grand jury secrecy concerns relative to such unsealing, it is hereby ORDERED that the seal is lifted, in part, upon such terms.

M.D. MisC. Dkt FI1eInSupfOmeCOU :.. • 71 OI4 NOV 1 O 2014

UNSEALED PER ORDER OF

THE COURT DATED

AUGUST 26, 2015

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA MIDDLE DISTRICT

PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL, No. MM2014 Petitioner

V.

SUPERVISING JUDGE OF THE FILED UNDER SEAL THIRTY-FIFTH STATEWIDE INVESTIGATING GRAND JURY, Respondent

PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERALS PETITION FOR REVIEW OF ORDERS ENTERED BY SUPERVISING JUDGE OF THE THIRTY-FIFTH STATEWIDE INVESTIGATING GRAND JURY ON AUGUST 27,2014, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014, AND OCTOBER 30,2014

TO THE HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE AND JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA:

AND NOW, comes the Office of Attomey General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Kathleen G. Kane, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who files this petition seeking the Supreme Court of Pennsylvanias review and vacation of the determination of the Supervising Judge of the Thirty-Fifth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury encompassed by the four related and interconnected Orders dated August 27, 201 4, September 1Recelvet fn Suptœe Coutlt NOV 102014

17, 2014, and October 30, 2014 (collectively, the protective order). In support thereof, the following is averred:

JURISDICTION

1. This Court has jurisdiction over the instant petition pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 722(5) and Pa.R.A.P. 3331(a)(3).

2. The petition for review is timely-filed because: (a) OAG had 10 days from the date of entry of the Order at issue t to file the petition, see Pa.R.A.P. 3331(a); Pa.R.A.P. 1512(b)(3);(b) the Order at issue was filed on October 30, 2014, rendering a filing deadline of November 10, 2014;2 and (c) OAG filed the petition on November 10, 2014.

PARTY SEEKING REVIEW

2. The Petitioner is the Office of Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania(OAG).

GOVERNMENT UNIT RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINATION SOUGHT TO BE REVIEWED

3. Respondent is the Supervising Judge of the Thirty-Fifth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, the Honorable William R. Carpenter(the Supervising Judge).

DETERMINATION SOUGHT TO BE REVIEWED 4. OAG seeks this Courts review of the Supervising Judges Order dated October 30, 2014, which denies OAGs motion for reconsideration of the Order entered by the Supervising Judge dated August 27, 2014 as amended twice thereafier on September 1 7, 201 4. See copy ofthe October 30, 2014 Order, attached as Exhibit A.

The Order at issue rendered final a previously-entered order that was amended twice. See infra. 2 Because the 10th day following October 30, 2014 was Sunday, November 9, 2014, the filing deadline is the next business day, Monday, November 10, 2014. See 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1908.

5. In other words, the determination sought to be reviewed encompassesfour related and interconnected orders:

a. the August 27, 2014 Order, which states, inter alia, that: (i) OAG shall refrain from any involvement in or access to the investigative efforts of the Special Prosecutor in Notice No. 123; (ii) OAG and its employees shall have no access to the transcripts, exhibits, and other information pertaining to Notice No.

123; (iii) OAG employees shall refrain from engaging in or soliciting any act of obstruction, intimidation, or retaliation against any witness summoned by the Special Prosecutor in Notice No. 123; and (iv) any person who engages in an act of obstruction, intimidation, or retaliation against a witness summoned by the Special Prosecutor in Notice No. 123 may be prosecuted pursuant to 18 Pa.C.S.A.

4955;3 §

b. the September 17, 2014 Order, which amended the August 27, 2014 Order to permit a second hearing -- this one with the ostensible involvement of OAG -- to be conducted on the subject of allegations of obstruction, witness intimidation, and/or retaliation; 4

c. another September 17, 2014 Order, which amended the August 27, 2014 Order and indicated, inter alia, that only the following persons are subject to the prohibition of obstruction, intimidation, or retaliation of any witness and criminal prosecution therefore: (i) any person who has been sworn to Grand Jury secrecy;(ii) any person who has or had access to any Grand Jury information; and (iii) any person associated with the J. Whyatt Mondesire investigation and proceedings;5

d. the October 30, 2014 Order, which renderedjìnal the amended protective order.

See copies of the August 27, 2014 Order and the two September 17, 2014 Orders, attached as Exhibits B, C, and D,respectively.

For purposes of clarity and ease of reference, this Order is referred to hereinafter as the initial protective order.

Prior to the entry of the initial protective order, the Supervising Judge conducted an in camera exparte hearing that excluded OAG and its employees completely.

For purposes of clarity and ease of reference, the initial protective order as amended by the two September 1 7, 2014 Orders is referred to hereinafter as the amended protective order.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIONS TO THE DETERMINATION Background 6. On June 6, 2014, the Philadelphia Daily News published an article describing a review by OAG of a prior Grand Jury investigation. See copy of the on-line version of the article, attached as Exhibit E.

7. The Supervising Judge appointed Thomas Carluccio, Esquire as Special Prosecutor to investigate this development pursuant to Notice of Investigation No. 1 23 and authorized him to use the resources of the Thirty-Fifth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.

8. OAG, which conducts all other investigations in the Thirty-Fifth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, has made every effort to accommodate the Special Prosecutors needs and has cooperated with him fully.6 9. On August 26, 2014, with no prior notice to OAG or any of its individual employees, with no specific allegations or explanation, and with no opportunity for OAG to respond to any allegations of misconduct, the Supervising Judge issued the initial protective order under the authority of 1 8 Pa.C.S. § 4954 (along with a related sealing order). See Exhibit B.

6 The Special Prosecutors allegation to the contrary contained in a prior filing in this Court in a related matter is incorrect. By way of example only, prior to issuance of the protective order OAG: (a) bent over backwards to assist the Special Prosecutor in orienting himself to the facilities and process utilized by the Thirty-Fifth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury; (b) performed all scheduling, subpoena issuance, logistical, and clerical tasks requested of it by the Special Prosecutor; (c) ensured that its employees appeared and testified as required by the Special Prosecutor; and (d) on at least one occasion, complied with the specific, direct, and unambiguous instruction of the Special Prosecutor to, on his behalf inform witnesses called by him for his investigation in Notice No. 1 23 of their rights and obligations under the law. The combined effect of the Supervising Judges Order that OAG have no involvement in the Special Prosecutors investigation along with the Special Prosecutors insistence that OAG employees perform some of his work for him has been to place OAG employees in a patently untenable position.

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