The so-called Bridgegate scandal, in which New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration allegedly closed entrance lanes to the George Washington Bridge in September 2013 to create traffic jams in retribution for the mayor of Fort Lee’s failure to endorse Christie, already has had a significant impact on a number of prominent careers, and perhaps even on our national politics. Because of its high profile, the recently argued appeal of a demand by the media for disclosure of the names of unindicted co-conspirators in the pending federal prosecution of two top Christie associates involved in Bridgegate also is likely to have an impact well beyond New Jersey’s borders. Its result can be expected to influence courts’ future deference to the reputational interests of individuals implicated but not charged in prominent investigations, and to influence federal prosecutors’ willingness to provide needed disclosure to defendants by means of informal bills of particulars.

‘United States v. Baroni’

In United States v. Baroni, Crim. No. 15-193 (SDW), in April 2015, a New Jersey federal grand jury charged William Baroni, a Christie appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, in a nine-count indictment alleging conspiracy to commit and the commission of wire fraud and the deprivation of civil rights. All but one of the counts also include an unidentified group of “others.” In November 2015, Baroni and Kelly filed motions including a demand for a bill of particulars identifying, among other things, the other co-conspirators referenced in the indictment.

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