NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The New York Times does not have the right to gain access to sealed applications for wiretaps in the investigation of the prostitution ring once patronized by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, a U.S. appeals court ruled yesterday.
The panel of judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York overruled a lower court judge’s order in February granting the newspaper’s application for information on wiretaps of the “Emperor’s Club” ring.
Spitzer, a Democrat, resigned as governor on March 17 last year after the government charged four people with running a prostitution ring. Spitzer was identified by The New York Times as a client of the high-priced ring.
“We hold that the Times has not shown ‘good cause’ to unseal wiretap applications, orders and related documents,” the written ruling said, citing the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. “We also hold that the Times does not have a First Amendment right to gain access to wiretap applications.” A spokeswoman for the company was not immediately available to comment.
