Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie allegations in FBI documents raise this legal question
Earlier this week, NBC News obtained an FBI report that gave Angelina Jolie’s account of the details of an alleged 2016 altercation between Jolie and Brad Pitt
Earlier this week, NBC News obtained an FBI report that gave Angelina Jolie’s account of the details of an alleged 2016 altercation between Jolie and Brad Pitt on their private plane. Following an investigation, the government declined to file charges against Pitt.
A recently sealed Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed against the FBI had listed a “Jane Doe” as seeking the release of FBI documents. The details of what is being sought are unclear, but the summary of events contained in the original Freedom of Information filing, reviewed by NBC News before it was sealed, are similar to what was detailed in the FBI report obtained by NBC. An attorney for Jane Doe said in April that she couldn’t comment on the identity of her client, though the lawyer did note her client was “seeking such records for years but has been stonewalled and has had to resort to court action to receive needed records.”
There is good reason why in all but the most egregious cases, the Justice Department and local law enforcement shouldn’t be facing legal challenges over decisions not to prosecute.
While much is clearly not known about this document request, it highlights a common misconception among those frustrated when our justice system doesn’t take the steps they desire — that citizens, just as they are free to file civil lawsuits, can also make the authorities initiate criminal actions; or that, at the very least, they can guide authorities into opening prosecutions.
“Pressing charges” has the common meaning, reinforced by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, of a victim bringing a criminal case against an offender. It’s true that a victim’s cooperation is at times necessary to have a viable case. But “pressing” charges doesn’t mean filing them in court; that’s what prosecutors and grand juries are for. It means providing your account to law enforcement and signaling your willingness to testify before a grand jury and in court. The reality is that the FBI and local police departments, though funded by taxpayers, do not report to them.
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