JAIL... OR HELL FOREVER? Okay, now we find out whether the PD's lawyers were right to be so worried about somebody going to jail.

From the AP:

A federal prosecutor asked a judge Thursday to determine how three documents under seal were released to newspapers reporting on a public corruption investigation involving the city's former mayor.

U.S. Attorney Gregory A. White filed the motion the same day The Plain Dealer reported that former Mayor Michael R. White was a target of a federal investigation that began three years ago and that led to the indictment of one of White's friends. The weekly newspaper Scene published a similar report Wednesday.

The prosecutor asked U.S. District Judge James S. Gwin to hold a hearing to determine who disclosed the documents. There was no immediate word on whether Gwin would hold a hearing.

Doug Clifton, The Plain Dealer's editor, said he had not seen the motion and declined further comment. Pete Kotz, Scene's editor, said he intends to protect the identity of the person who gave him the documents.

"If you rat a guy you're going to go to hell forever," Kotz said. "I'm not going to rat anybody."

... The Plain Dealer reported that a lawyer it didn't identify allowed the newspaper to review the memo.

... In the motion, the prosecutor said an intentional violation of the court order sealing the documents could constitute, at minimum, contempt of court.

Several of my friends in the NEO blogging network have attacked Clifton mercilessly for withholding this (and maybe another) story from print for fear of legal repercussions. Now that the story's been out for two days, nobody has posted much about it (just this from Jeff, and this from Right Angle Blog).

What do you think, folks? Should someone should go to jail... or to hell? Will there be a Bloggers Legal Defense Fund for Kotz, Tobin and Clifton?

Just asking.

Update: democracyguy responds.