Overview
- - The four remaining defendants — Kat Abughazaleh, Brian Straw, Michael Rabbitt and Andre Martin — asked a federal judge to release unredacted grand jury transcripts and to dismiss a felony conspiracy count.
- - Prosecutors told the court they would drop the conspiracy indictment, then reversed course and kept the felony count pending while moving related misdemeanor cases toward trial.
- - U.S. District Judge April Perry had requested the transcripts for a hearing, then said she no longer needed them after prosecutors announced a dismissal that they did not ultimately carry out.
- - Defense filings say the sealed record could show the presenting prosecutor mis-taught the law, failed to instruct on the law, or engaged in improper exchanges with grand jurors, and they argue the case carries political overtones.
- - The charges stem from a September protest at ICE’s Broadview facility tied to Operation Midway Blitz, and any court-ordered disclosure would test the strong secrecy that usually shields grand jury proceedings.