Death-scene images

A federal appeals court ruled for the first time that the right to privacy over death images is protected under the U.S. Constitution.

A federal court in Florida refused to order the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to withhold videos and photographs depicting a SeaWorld trainer’s death, explaining that it would not intervene before the agency reached a decision regarding the release of the materials.

Releasing certain images, video and audio recordings regarding a prison murder and mutilation would violate the personal privacy of the prisoner's family, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver (10th Cir.) ruled Tuesday. The three-judge panel upheld a lower court's ruling that Exemption 7(c) to the federal Freedom of Information Act was properly applied and that the images would remain private in Prison Legal News v. Executive Office for United States Attorneys.