Supreme Court rules against foreign firm, in mystery case potentially linked to Mueller – By Bill Mears (foxnews.com) / Jan 8 2019
The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from an unknown foreign corporation over a pending federal subpoena believed linked to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The justices issued an unsigned order Tuesday, refusing to dismiss a contempt citation issued by a federal judge for failure to comply.
The unnamed company — listed cryptically in court records as owned by “Country A” — had challenged a subpoena from a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., including daily fines, after its refusal to turn over requested documents to U.S. investigators.
Chief Justice John Roberts last week had put the pending compliance order on temporary hold, while he and his eight colleagues considered the corporation’s stay request.
The company had cited the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in its refusal to comply, saying to do so would violate the laws of its home country.
The company earlier Tuesday filed a request with the high court to hear the dispute on the legal merits. That request is still pending with the court, and it is unclear if this new appeal means those documents can still be withheld temporarily, while the case is litigated.
Nearly all details of the dispute remain under seal.
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A federal appeals court last month held closed-door oral arguments over the dispute, and reporters and the public were removed from the entire courthouse floor where the case was heard.
This is believed to be the first Mueller-related appeal to reach the Supreme Court.
It remains uncertain if the justices would be asked in coming weeks to take on the broader legal questions raised by this issue, and how that might impact the special counsel’s investigation.
