The unnamed company owned by a foreign country that is challenging a grand jury subpoena issued in federal court in Washington is asking the Supreme Court to step in.

This week, “Corporation A” that is owned by "Country A" lost its challenge against having to comply with a grand jury subpoena that many believe has been issued by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected the challenge by the company to quash the subpoena late Tuesday night.

On Saturday, the company formally filed an application with Supreme Court, asking it to intervene and stay the lower court's decision — and has also asked that the case remain under seal.

The company is also asking the Supreme Court to halt the continuing $5,000 per week fine it is incurring for not complying with the subpoena, an effort Judges David S. Tatel, Thomas B. Griffith, and Stephen F. Williams of the D.C. Circuit also rejected this week.

Legal expert Steve Vladeck said on Twitter that if the Supreme Court takes up the case and keeps it under seal, it will be the first time the highest court in the land has conducted plenary review, including oral arguments, under seal.



There have been sealed applications like this before, but so far as we know, #SCOTUS has never in its history conducted plenary review, including oral argument, in a case that remained entirely under seal... https://t.co/yPwpXk3mri — Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) December 22, 2018

On Thursday and Friday, there was sealed action in the case at the D.C. Circuit. The D.C. Circuit denied a motion filed by the company, but no other information regarding the motion was revealed.

The grand jury case was first put on the docket in October, but CNN witnessed several lawyers from Mueller’s office going into the courtroom in early September. The courtroom involved an unknown defense team and a trial-level judge who oversees federal grand-jury-related cases.

In mid-October, Politico broke the story that Mueller’s team was brought into court by a witness battling a subpoena and only discovered the connection to Mueller’s probe after overhearing a man request a document in the case from the special counsel’s office.

Two weeks ago, judges Tatel, Griffith, and Williams took a recess after hearing an immigration-related case, and then the floor of the courthouse where the appeals court is located went into lockdown. Only law clerks were allowed to stay behind.

No one saw anyone from Mueller’s office or any other lawyers from a possible defense coming in and out of the building.

However, CNN reported that after court activity appeared to end for the day, a black Justice Department car returned to Mueller’s office in Washington, carrying lawyers Michael Dreeben and Zainab Ahmad.

Mueller took over the Russia investigation in May 2017 and has so far brought criminal counts against more than 30 people and three Russian entities, producing more than 100 criminal charges.

