Southern Poverty Law Center asks judge to weigh sanctions against DOJ for sending unsigned copy of indictment to media The Southern Poverty Law Center has requested federal sanctions against prosecutors for sharing an unsigned copy of a superseding indictment with the media before it was publicly filed. The SPLC alleges this action violates federal grand jury secrecy rules and unfairly prejudices the nonprofit by creating a one-sided narrative. This conduct is described as unprecedented and a disregard for professional norms and fairness.

• The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is asking a federal judge to sanction federal prosecutors.
• The Justice Department allegedly shared an unsigned and unstamped copy of a superseding indictment against the SPLC with the media.
• The SPLC claims this distribution violates federal grand jury secrecy rules and occurred before the indictment was publicly docketed.
• The SPLC argues this action prejudices their case by creating a one-sided narrative before they can respond.
• The version shared with the media contained metadata and some language not present in the officially returned indictment.