Why does the grand jury operate in secret?
A. The consequences of being subjected to a criminal investigation are significant. The rights of any targets of the grand jury–and third parties who are not targets but otherwise involved–must be protected. To ensure the protection of these rights, secrecy is imposed by prohibiting the jurors, the prosecutors and other court personnel from discussing grand jury proceedings. The courts take this obligation seriously. A federal judge has opened an inquiry into alleged “leaks” of grand jury testimony from the Office of Independent Counsel investigating the President.
