EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS & DETAILS: Alleged Arizona Shooter Jared Loughner's Federal Mug Shot: The Loophole For Release
May 28 2018, Updated 10:16 a.m. ET
Another legal fight is brewing in the case of alleged Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner who is accused of killing six people and the attempted assignation of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and it’s all over the release of his Federal mug shots, Breaking Celebrity News has exclusively learned.
In court documents filed with the United States District Court, District of Arizona, the U.S. Attorney's Office, as well as Loughner's attorney Judy Clarke oppose the release of Loughner’s Federal mug shots despite over one dozen requests by the media to do so citing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
EXCLUSIVE COURT DOCUMENTS: Jared Loughner Motions To Bar Release of Mugshots
In January, the Pima County Sheriff's Department released one booking photo of Loughner to the public, taken while he was in their custody – depicting Loughner with a shaved head and an eerie grin on his face.
But Loughner was later turned over to the United States Marshals, where two additional booking photos were taken of him – one profile shot and one front shot.
According to court documents, these photos “show Mr. Loughner in sharper resolution with abrasions on his face, and in prison garb, with a cinder block wall in the background.”
Officially, it is standard practice for the U.S. Marshals Service to refrain from releasing booking photos, but because of a legal loophole, they are seeking a judge's order prohibiting those photos from being made public.
But thanks to a previous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in a case brought by the Detroit Free Press vs. Department of Justice – the ruling in that case may provide the loophole they need. The court ruled mug shots had to be released when there is no privacy interest at stake.