This move was highly unusual, since federal courts were traditionally held to have no jurisdiction over state criminal proceedings.

The chief is fighting his dismissal through state administrative proceedings.

Federal and state prosecutors lack the legal right to intervene in the state proceedings.

One feature, he said, was federal courts' meddling in state proceedings.

The lawyers also help to some extent in state proceedings, as in the McMillian case.

Where state proceedings are at issue, the statute tolls the one-year limitations period.

"The court ruling leaves a patchwork of state proceedings that have been cumbersome, moving slowly and not generating competitive alternatives for local phone service."

And precedent suggests that federal prosecutors will wait for the outcome of the state proceedings before deciding whether to pursue civil rights charges.

Therefore, persons involved in state criminal proceedings as a defendant have no federal constitutional right to grand jury proceedings.

Until last week, the company was able to keep documents associated with the state legal proceedings under seal.