[Ppnews] Grand Jury - Josh Wolf Granted Bail by Appeals Court

[Political Prisoner News]

For Immediate Release August 31, 2006

Ninth Circuit Grants Bail for Jailed Journalist Josh Wolf

Lawyers Guild Hopeful, Strong Free Speech Decision Possible

Contact Carlos Villarreal at 415-285-5067 x 10 or 
Dan Siegel at 510-839-1200 x 4



SAN FRANCISCO – The Ninth Circuit Court of 
Appeals granted bail today to Josh Wolf – the 
independent journalist and blogger who was jailed 
August 1st for refusing to turn over video footage to a federal grand jury.



Press Conference

Friday, September 1 at 1 p.m.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit Building

95 Seventh Street in San Francisco

Speakers: Josh Wolf, Attorney Dan Siegel of 
Siegel & Yee, Carlos Villarreal of the National Lawyers Guild



Since Wolf’s jailing a number of organizations 
besides the National Lawyers Guild have voiced 
support for Wolf and condemnation of the Federal 
Government. This month the Society For 
Professional Journalists made a donation of 
$30,000 to his defense. The ACLU and the 
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have 
both filed amicus curiae on behalf of Wolf.  The 
San Francisco Board of Supervisors, led by Ross 
Mirkarimi and Tom Ammiano, also adopted a 
resolution this month urging the passage of a 
Federal Shield Law and condemning the federal 
government’s actions in the Wolf case.  The 
resolution charges that the grand jury is an 
“attempt to circumvent the local judicial 
system,” since the crime being investigated 
involves an alleged attack on a San Francisco police car.



“This provides some vindication and we are 
cautiously optimistic about what the Ninth 
Circuit will ultimately decide,” said Carlos 
Villarreal, Executive Director of the National 
Lawyers Guild San Francisco Bay Area.  “We are 
hopeful that the justices are going to consider 
the importance of a free and independent media, 
especially when journalists are covering free speech activities.”



Josh Wolf was ordered in contempt by Federal 
Judge William Alsup on August 1st.  The US 
Attorney’s Office, led by Assistant US Attorney 
Jeffrey Finigan, wants Wolf to testify before a 
federal grand jury and hand over a video tape of 
a protest that occurred in San Francisco’s Mission District last July.



Court documents and past news articles can be 
found at <http://joshwolf.net/grandjury/>http://joshwolf.net/grandjury/

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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