N.Y. APP. DIV. 3D DEP'TCourt order
New York appeals court orders grievance committee to release Sarcone admonition
A New York Appellate Division panel on October 22, 2026, ordered the Attorney Grievance Committee to release the admonition it issued in April to John A. Sarcone III, the former interim U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, whom the Justice Department now lists as first assistant U.S. attorney. The court granted in part a petition by the watchdog Campaign for Accountability but refused to open the committee's investigative files.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Law.com, Above the Law
Key points
- The unanimous five-justice per curiam decision directs the committee to give the letter to the group forthwith.Above the Law
- In April the committee found a sufficient basis for a finding of professional misconduct and closed the matter.Above the Law
- The committee conceded it could not argue in good faith that its disposition should stay confidential.Above the Law
- The court rested on the First Amendment right of access, not Sarcone's status as a public official.Above the Law
- The ruling came from the Appellate Division, Third Department.Bloomberg Law