DC Judge: Felon Privacy Rights Outweigh Public Right to Know

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A federal judge in Washington said the “privacy interests” of illegal immigrants convicted of felonies outweighs the public interest in knowing whether the Justice Department has deported them as required by law. Judge Richard Leon rejected a Freedom of Information Act request from Cox Newspapers for Justice Department records on the felons. The newspapers had previously reported a number of similar incidents in Georgia in which immigrant felons were released from prison back into society rather than being deported. (9/29/05)