The scope and nature of the Perry fight had been secret, because they involve an FBI search warrant used to seize Perry’s phone on Aug. 9. Perry’s lawyers objected to the unsealing, but Howell said redactions protected his interests, noting that the government’s specific allegations about why Perry’s phone might contain evidence of a crime remain under seal. She also said that the appeals court in a 2007 opinion about a bribery investigation of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) “None of Rep. Perry’s alternative considerations outweigh the government and the public’s interest in an expedi[tious] investigation,” the judge wrote, after she earlier warned Perry against continuing to “slow-walk” litigation. Perry, who has not been charged, has said through a spokesperson that he is considered a witness, not a subject, in the investigation.
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