By Sophia Pappalardo & Kenya Parrish
In this civil case, the Petitioner requested mandamus relief from a gag order issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The gag order imposed strict requirements on participants and potential participants of interrelated nuisance suits brought against hog farms in North Carolina. The Fourth Circuit found the district court’s order to be defective and granted the petition. Thus, the Fourth Circuit directed the district court to vacate the gag order and allow the parties to begin their suits again under guidelines set forth by the Fourth Circuit, but only if warranted by exceptional circumstances.
