Court refuses to stop Bolton's book but says he likely exposed the country to harm

Reporting and findings

1. documented

   Judge Royce Lamberth denied the emergency injunction because hundreds of thousands of books had shipped and an order could not prevent disclosure. He nevertheless found Bolton likely failed to complete prepublication review and risked classified disclosure, potentially exposing himself to civil and criminal liability. The ruling was therefore not a merits vindication of Bolton; it denied an ineffective prior-restraint remedy while preserving serious adverse findings.

   • FindLaw (court opinion reproduction): Reproduction of United States v. Bolton memorandum opinion denying preliminary injunctionAnalysis and conclusion: likelihood of breach, national-security harm, irreparable-remedy failure, and injunction denial
   • Reuters: U.S. Justice Department drops probe and civil case over John Bolton's bookJune 2021 dismissal with prejudice of the merits case