Journalist Sues Brooklyn Federal Court Officials and Prosecutors' Spokesman Over Press Passes Pulled During Huawei, Clase Trials

Matthew Russell Lee, a journalist and attorney who publishes Inner City Press, sued officials of the federal court in Brooklyn and the U.S. Attorney's Office there on Wednesday, alleging he was stripped of his press passes and escorted out of the courthouse during two criminal trials because of his reporting.

The verified complaint, filed Nov. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, names Eugene J. Corcoran, the District Executive of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York; Michael Loguercio, an employee of Corcoran's office; John Marzulli, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District; and U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. Lee filed the case himself, without a lawyer, and seeks no money damages.

How Lee Says He Lost His Press Passes

Lee held press passes for two Brooklyn trials, United States v. Huawei and United States v. Clase de la Cruz, et al. On the morning of Nov. 4, the complaint says, the overflow courtroom for the Clase trial was still not working and Lee was inside the courtroom, where he "briefly used his phone." It alleges others were also using phones and that no judge addressed his device.

The complaint alleges Marzulli called Lee into the hallway and "announced that he was contacting 'Gene Corcoran.'" Soon after, it says, Loguercio arrived and Court Security Officers, at his direction, took Lee's passes for both trials and escorted him out. "No judge ordered this," the complaint states, adding that Lee received "no notice, no statement of reasons and no opportunity to respond."

Lee, who says he was admitted to practice in the Eastern District on Aug. 19, 2026, cites the court's Administrative Order 2025-02, which he says lets attorneys with proof of bar membership bring electronic devices into the courthouse, subject to a presiding judge's limits. The complaint also says the court's press pass application bars devices in the courtroom and overflow room and states that violators lose press privileges.

On information and belief, the complaint alleges, Marzulli's communication to the District Executive's office "was the sole reason for Plaintiff's removal." It cites a 2022 dispute with Marzulli and Lee's Nov. 3 letters to seven judges asking that immigration habeas cases be made public. Lee says his passes have not been returned and he has not gone back into the courthouse.

In a Nov. 4 post on Inner City Press, Lee wrote that he was "marched out of the courthouse by three federal Court Security Officers."

The Claims and the Relief Sought

The complaint brings four counts: First Amendment retaliation against all defendants; a First Amendment access and selective-enforcement claim against Corcoran and Loguercio; a Fifth Amendment due process claim against the same two; and a request for a declaratory judgment.

Lee asks the court to declare that his removal violated the First and Fifth Amendments, restore his passes for both trials, and grant him in-house press status in the Eastern District, which he says he has held in the Southern District since 2019, or require the court to publish its criteria and decide his application with written reasons. He also asks the court to bar Marzulli and Nocella from asking court officials to restrict his access "because of his reporting," and to order all records about Nov. 4 preserved.

What Comes Next

Lee also filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order to restore his credentials while the trials continue. The complaint says closing arguments in the Huawei trial are scheduled for Nov. 16 and the Clase trial is set to end by Dec. 3.

Docket entries show Lee requested summonses for each defendant and for the U.S. attorney in Manhattan and the U.S. attorney general, offices that must be served when federal officers are sued. As of Wednesday evening, the docket showed no ruling on the emergency motion and no filing by the defendants. The allegations have not been tested in court.

Sources: Lee v. Corcoran et al., No. 1:26-cv-09896 (S.D.N.Y.), verified complaint filed Nov. 11, 2026 (https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.677059/gov.uscourts.nysd.677059.1.0.pdf); case docket on CourtListener (https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/75103694/lee/); Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press, Nov. 4, 2026 (https://innercitypress.com/edny1escortedouticp110426.html). Cover photo: United States Courthouse, Eastern District of New York, Brooklyn, by Ajay Suresh, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).