Civil Rights Cold Case Records Disclosure Decision
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The notice clears most records from two civil rights cold case incidents for public release. The Review Board decided that 12,884 pages should be disclosed in full and 71 pages in part, while allowing some information to remain withheld for now. The practical effect is greater public access to historical government records held by NARA and the Department of Justice. Researchers, journalists, families, civil rights advocates, and public records teams may see new material added to the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection, while sealed federal grand jury information still requires court action before release.
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Key Changes
- Authorizes full public disclosure of 12,884 pages of civil rights cold case records
- Allows partial disclosure of 71 additional pages
- Approves some postponements and asks the Attorney General to seek court unsealing of federal grand jury information
Obligations
What this law requires
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board must publish its determinations on disclosure or postponement of records in the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection in the Federal Register no more than 14 days after the date of its decision.
The Attorney General is requested to petition the relevant court to unseal sealed federal grand jury information contained in the records before that information can be released.
Records determined by the Review Board to be publicly disclosed — 12,884 pages in full and 71 pages in part — should be made available in the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection, subject to approved postponements and continued withholding of sealed grand jury information pending court action.