§ 144.5 Procedures when production or disclosure of Commission records or information relating to Commission business is sought.

(a) If in any proceeding oral testimony of an employee or former employee of the Commission is sought concerning matters related to the business of the Commission, an affidavit or, if that is not feasible, a signed statement by the party seeking the testimony or by his attorney, setting forth with particularity a summary of the testimony sought and its relevance to the proceeding, must be furnished to the Commission's General Counsel at the Commission's Washington, DC headquarters. When authorization by the Commission is required, any authorization shall be limited to the scope of the demand as summarized in such statement. (b) If a response to a demand by a court or other authority is required before instructions from the Commission are received, and Commission authorization is required, a Commission attorney shall be designated by the General Counsel to appear and to inform the court or other authority of these regulations and that the subpoena or demand has been referred for prompt consideration by the Commission. The Commission attorney shall request a stay of the demand pending receipt of instructions. (c) In the event that the court or other authority declines to stay the effect of the demand pending receipt of instructions or in the event that the court rules that there must be compliance with the demand irrespective of instructions not to produce the material or disclose the information sought, the Commission employee or former employee upon whom the demand has been made shall respectfully decline to comply with the demand.