AIPAC Espionage Prosecution

This page collects court documents and other resources concerning the prosecution of two former lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, for violations of the Espionage Act, which prohibits communicating and receiving classified information.  This is the first time the Espionage Act has been used to prosecute individuals who were not in privity with the government.  It is feared that this prosecution will chill journalists from pursuing or writing about government information that may be classified.

Court Documents and Related Material

• Espionage Act
• Indictment
• Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press’ Motion for Leave to File Amicus
• Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press’ Amicus Brief
• Court Order Denying Amicus Status
• Government’s Consolidated Responses to Defendants’ Pretrial Motion
• Government's Supplemental Response to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss
• Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss
• Defendants’ Supplemental Brief in Support of Motion to Dismiss
• Defendants' Reply to Government's Supplemental Response to Motion to Dismiss
• Transcript of Oral Arguments on Motion to Dismiss
• Decision Denying Motion to Dismiss
• Order Denying Government Motion to Introduce Evidence Contrary to the Indictment
• Docket as of August 11, 2006

MLRC Bulletin Article

• "Reporting The War On Terror: The Espionage Act and Other Scary Statutes", by Susan Buckley, originally published March 2002

News Coverage

• "Chilling Free Speech," by Nat Hentoff, Washington Times, May 8, 2006
• "Read the News, Go to Jail," by David Wise, Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2006
• "AIPAC Judge Throws Out First Amendment Claim," by Josh Gerstein, New York Sun, August 11, 2006