The D.C. federal appeals court ruled that national security concerns were sufficient to block release of videos showing force-feeding of inmates during a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay. The ruling reversed a lower court decision and sided with the government in their argument that access to videos could make it harder for guards to maintain order in the prison. (Courthouse News Service, April 3, 2017, by Tim Ryan)
The media failed to convince the D.C. court that the case, Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court, supported their First Amendment claim to the tapes. The court said the case dealt with a murder case and criminal prosecution rather than national security information and habeas corpus as in the Guantanamo litigation. The Court also said the government had compelling reasons for withholding the tapes since besides harming security at the base they could incite violence towards U.S. soldiers overseas and provide propaganda to recruit terrorists. (Constitutional Law Prof Blog, March 31, 2017, by Steven D. Schwinn)