US v. White & Case LLP, No. 10-15758

Appeal from Order Quashing Subpoenas

In US v. White & Case LLP, No. 10-15758, the United States' appeal from an order of the district court quashing certain subpoenas directed to the respondent law firms, seeking nonprivileged material in aid of a grand jury investigating the clients of the law firms, the court reversed where the court applied its per se rule that a grand jury subpoena took precedence over a civil protective order.

As the court wrote:  "The United States appeals an order of the district court quashing certain subpoenas directed to the respondent law firms named in the caption of the case (the Law Firms). The subpoenas sought nonprivileged material in aid of a grand jury investigating the clients of the Law Firms. The material had been obtained by the firms as a result of civil discovery in an antitrust suit. Holding that the district court abused its discretion, we reverse its order."

Related Resources

• Read the Ninth Circuit's Decision in US v. White & Case LLP, No. 10-15758