SPJ is one of 19 news organizations and journalism advocacy groups pressing for access to the upcoming federal criminal trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

The former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney resigned from his post in 2005 after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges related to a federal investigation aimed at identifying the person or persons who publicly leaked the name of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame. Libby is charged with lying to FBI agents and to a grand jury about his conversations with reporters.

SPJ is among news groups seeking public access to jury selection and daily access to audio recordings of the proceedings maintained by the court.

"The right of the people to know how government is exercising power in their name is critical to the functioning of our democracy," the application states. Read the application for access [PDF, 332 KB], and view supporting exhibits:

— Declaration of Nathan Siegel [PDF, 320 KB]
— Certificate of Disclosure [PDF, 60 KB]

UPDATE 1/9/07: The court issued a decision on the access application in U.S. v. Libby. Follow this link [PDF, 43 KB] to read the complete text.