In the process of unsealing documents from the Chapo trial prosecutors agreed today to release some stuff & keep others sealed/redacted. Their reasons? Witness safety, other investigations and in one case to spare a witness from having "a sensitive personal incident" revealed.
Prosecutors are also trying to keep secret the search warrant affidavits they used to get hold of Chapo's private text messages with his wife & girlfriends--against the wishes of the defense. Judge Cogan will ultimately decide whether those are released or not.
This is the third--and final--tranche of the documents to be unsealed. Even though the parties agreed to redact and unseal the second tranche weeks ago, it still hasn't happened yet. So we'll see how long it takes for this batch to become public.
Speculation here but one doc prosecutors still want sealed is a letter about people visiting Chapo, presumably in the MCC. The sealing is merited "to protect...ongoing govt investigations of non-parties." At trial prosecutors accused his wife Emma of helping him escape in Mexico.
Emma has not been charged with any crimes. But the US government seems to be investigating someone and there is sensitive information requiring sealing in a letter about people visiting Chapo in custody.
As a side note, it is a nifty trick indeed when lawyers seek to validate the sealing of court documents by referring to reasons contained in judicial orders, which are themselves sealed. A perfect circle of secrecy.
