US judge reverses ruling in Julius Baer leak case

SAN FRANCISCO Feb 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday reversed his earlier ruling that barred to a Web site with private bank account data from Switzerland's Julius Baer Holding AG <BAER.VX.

The judge reversed himself after hearing arguments by free-speech advocates that his decision amounted to unconstitutional prior restraint.

"There are serious questions of prior restraint and possible violations of the First Amendment," U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled from the bench in his San Francisco courtroom.

"The court has serious questions whether those concerns raised before the court make the granting of the relief requested by the plaintiffs constitutionally appropriate," he added. (Reporting by Philipp Gollner, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)