IWS Documented News INTERNATIONAL

IWS Documented News Service
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Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
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Congressional Research Service (CRS)

Criminal Prohibitions on the Publication of Classified Defense Information

Jennifer K. Elsea, Legislative Attorney

December 6, 2010

http://opencrs.com/document/R41404/2010-12-06/download/1013

[full-text, 24 pages]

Summary

The recent online publication of classified defense documents and diplomatic cables by the

organization WikiLeaks and subsequent reporting by the New York Times and other news media

have focused attention on whether such publication violates U.S. criminal law. The Attorney

General has reportedly stated that the Justice Department and Department of Defense are

investigating the circumstances to determine whether any prosecutions will be undertaken in

connection with the disclosure.

This report identifies some criminal statutes that may apply, but notes that these have been used

almost exclusively to prosecute individuals with access to classified information (and a

corresponding obligation to protect it) who make it available to foreign agents, or to foreign

agents who obtain classified information unlawfully while present in the United States. Leaks of

classified information to the press have only rarely been punished as crimes, and we are aware of

no case in which a publisher of information obtained through unauthorized disclosure by a

government employee has been prosecuted for publishing it. There may be First Amendment

implications that would make such a prosecution difficult, not to mention political ramifications

based on concerns about government censorship. To the extent that the investigation implicates

any foreign nationals whose conduct occurred entirely overseas, any resulting prosecution may

carry foreign policy implications related to the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction and whether

suspected persons may be extradited to the United States under applicable treaty provisions.

This report will discuss the statutory prohibitions that may be implicated, including the Espionage

Act; the extraterritorial application of such statutes; and the First Amendment implications related

to such prosecutions against domestic or foreign media organizations and associated individuals.

The report will also provide a summary of pending legislation relevant to the issue, including S.

4004.

Contents

Background ...............................................................................................................................1

Statutory Protection of Classified Information.............................................................................4

The Espionage Act ................................................................................................................4

Other Statutes .......................................................................................................................7

Analysis...............................................................................................................................8

Jurisdictional Reach of Relevant Statutes ....................................................................................9

Extradition Issues...................................................................................................................... 11

Constitutional Issues .................................................................................................................14

Proposed Legislation.................................................................................................................20

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................21

Contacts

Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................21

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This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

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Stuart Basefsky                   
Director, IWS News Bureau                
Institute for Workplace Studies 
Cornell/ILR School                        
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             
New York, NY 10016                        
                                   
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  
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