Southern Poverty Law Center seeks disclosure of grand jury transcripts in criminal case

Source: CBS News

April 28, 2026 / 10:29 AM EDT


Washington — The Southern Poverty Law Center moved to force the disclosure of grand jury materials in the criminal case against the organization, citing what it said were "misleading" statements from Trump administration officials in the aftermath of the indictment last week and "obvious legal infirmities" in court filings.

The filings come after a federal grand jury in Alabama indicted the group on 11 counts of wire and bank fraud-related charges last week. The Justice Department accused the group of paying members of extremist groups as part of its efforts to investigate them without disclosing the practice to donors or banks. The SPLC is a nonprofit that tracks white supremacist and other hate groups across the U.S., and has been a frequent target of President Trump's allies. It has denied the allegations.

"This indictment represents a stunning and unremitting departure from Justice Department policy and established law," attorneys representing the SPLC said in a motion filed Tuesday. "It seeks to criminalize some of the very investigative tools and programs that the SPLC has used for decades to infiltrate and dismantle violent extremist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations — tradecraft that has produced vital intelligence that has been shared with law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Attorneys representing the group argued that the indictment omits elements of criminal intent, and said that a motion to dismiss the case is "forthcoming.". "These particularized irregularities suggest that the grand jury was not merely misled by the government's presentation of the law, but likely that it was actively weaponized to facilitate such charges," the SPLC said.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southern-poverty-law-center-seeks-disclosure-of-grand-jury-transcripts-in-criminal-case/