The Office of Court Administration is supporting a motion by Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan Jr. to file under seal his reasons for maintaining secrecy in a political corruption probe. Donovan was removed at his request last year from an investigation involving the Working Families Party that apparently centers on a 2009 City Council election. Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Fern Fisher granted the request and appointed Roger Bennett Adler as special district attorney.
But neither Donovan’s reasons for seeking removal, nor Fisher’s in removing him, have been made public and the party has petitioned the Appellate Division, Second Department, to unseal the record. Donovan has requested permission to respond under seal, arguing that to publicly reveal why the record should remain sealed would defeat the purpose of keeping it under wraps (NYLJ, March 19). The party is opposing the motion (NYLJ, March 26).
