On the 20th (local time), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a request by former President Joe Biden to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts from interviews he conducted ten years ago with Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of his memoir.

Zwonitzer conducted interviews at Biden's private residence in 2016 and 2017. Biden’s legal team argued that the conversations were candid and personal in nature, and were intended to remain private.

The three-judge panel stayed the implementation of the ruling until August 3 to provide the former President with sufficient time to appeal.

Biden’s legal team may seek an "en banc" hearing, in which all judges of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals would participate, rather than just the three-judge panel that issued this 2-to-1 decision. This is likely because a direct appeal to the Supreme Court could be disadvantageous to Biden, given the current conservative majority on the bench.

In its 2-to-1 ruling, the appellate court determined that there is a "substantial" public interest in disclosing the materials that Biden had sought to keep private.

In the majority opinion, Judges Sri Srinivasan and Gregory Katsas stated, "Even if the potential for privacy infringement remains after the redacted materials are released, it is difficult to conclude that the public interest in disclosure does not outweigh it."

Judge Srinivasan was appointed by former President Obama and was once widely considered a Supreme Court candidate before Obama ultimately nominated Merrick Garland. Judge Katsas was appointed during the first term of the Trump administration.

Judge Florence Pan, who was appointed by former President Biden, issued a dissenting opinion, arguing that privacy should be protected given that the interviews took place in a private setting and did not lead to criminal charges.

These recordings and transcripts stem from interviews conducted in 2016 and 2017 for the writing of Biden's memoir, "Promise Me, Dad." Special Counsel Robert Hur obtained these materials during his investigation into the mishandling of classified documents by Biden, and they are currently held by the Department of Justice.

Subsequently, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, requested their release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2024. Biden's team has been litigating to prevent the Department of Justice—now under the Trump administration—from disclosing the documents.

In June, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the public interest in the materials outweighed Biden's privacy rights, leading Biden’s team to appeal. Judge Friedrich was appointed by President Trump.

In previously released portions of his 2023 interview with Special Counsel Hur, former President Biden appeared to struggle with recalling details regarding his time as Vice President and the death of his son, Beau.

Throughout his term, former President Biden faced persistent criticism regarding his mental fitness to serve as President.

Consequently, conservative groups are paying close attention to what other "shocking revelations might emerge."

NNP USA = Representative Reporter Hong Sung-gu / Special Report for NNP info@newsandpost.com