[JURIST] A formerly secret opinion released by the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals [official website] reveals that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby [JURIST news archive], former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney told prosecutors that the Vice President had informed him directly of the identity of Valerie Plame, at the center of the CIA leak investigation [JURIST news archive]. The opinion, initially a part of the court's February 15, 2005 ruling [text, PDF] that reporters Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper could be held in contempt for failing to testify before a grand jury, supports the indictment against Libby, which accuses him of lying about where he learned of Plame's identity. The order [PDF] for its release came as a result of a petition [JURIST report] by media company Dow Jones & Co. The court did not release the entire opinion, however, keeping portions that relate to the special prosecutor's ongoing investigation [JURIST report] secret. The New York Times has more.