THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR JOHN MCCAIN, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE ATTACKING ACADEMIC FREEDOM: AND THEY WERE RIGHT! “Researchers who conduct oral history have no right to expect courts to respect confidentiality pledges made to interview subjects, according to a brief filed by the U.S. Justice Department on Friday. The brief further asserts that academic freedom is not a defense to protect the confidentiality of such documents.”