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Case TitleJUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2018cv00491
Date Filed2018-03-01
Date Closed2019-02-26
JudgeJudge Reggie B. Walton
PlaintiffJUDICIAL WATCH, INC.
Case DescriptionJudicial Watch submitted a FOIA request to the Department of Justice for records concerning communications between the Attorney General's Office and Fusion GPS or contractor Nellie Ohr. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request, but after hearing nothing further from the agency, Judicial Watch filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Adequacy - Search, Litigation - Vaughn index, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2018-03-011COMPLAINT against U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number 0090-5355159) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons for U.S. Attorney for DC, # 3 Summons for U.S. Attorney General, # 4 Summons for U.S. Department of Justice)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 03/01/2018)
2018-03-012LCvR 7.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 03/01/2018)
2018-03-01Case Assigned to Judge Reggie B. Walton. (zsth) (Entered: 03/01/2018)
2018-03-023SUMMONS(3) Issued Electronically as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(sth) (Entered: 03/02/2018)
2018-03-134RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 3/9/2018. ( Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 4/8/2018.), RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 03/09/18., RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE served on 3/9/2018 (Attachments: # 1 Summons for U.S. Attorney for DC, # 2 Summons for U.S. Attorney General, # 3 Summons for U.S. Department of Justice)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 03/13/2018)
2018-03-135GENERAL ORDER. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on March 13, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 03/13/2018)
2018-04-096NOTICE of Appearance by Michael Joseph Gerardi on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 04/09/2018)
2018-04-097ANSWER to 1 Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.(Gerardi, Michael) Modified to add link on 4/11/2018 (znmw). (Entered: 04/09/2018)
2018-04-10MINUTE ORDER. To ensure the expeditious resolution of this action, and because this qualifies as an exempted case under Local Civil Rule 16.3(b), it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a joint proposed schedule governing further proceedings on or before May 1, 2018. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on April 10, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 04/10/2018)
2018-04-10Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Proposed Schedule due by 5/1/2018. (hs) (Entered: 04/10/2018)
2018-04-138Joint MOTION for Extension of Time to File Joint Proposed Schedule by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 04/13/2018)
2018-04-17MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 8 Joint Motion for Extension of Time to File Joint Proposed Schedule, and for good cause shown, it is hereby ORDERED that this motion is GRANTED. It is further ORDERED that the parties shall file their joint proposed schedule governing further proceedings on or before May 11, 2018. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on April 17, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 04/17/2018)
2018-04-17Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Proposed Briefing Schedule due by 5/11/2018 (hs) (Entered: 04/17/2018)
2018-05-119NOTICE of Plaintiff's Proposed Schedule by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 05/11/2018)
2018-05-1110First STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 05/11/2018)
2018-05-15MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the 10 Defendant's Status Report and the 9 Plaintiff's Proposed Schedule, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties file an additional joint status report on or before May 29, 2018, regarding whether the parties are able to reduce the number of custodians whose records are to be searched, and a proposed schedule for further proceedings in this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on May 15, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 05/15/2018)
2018-05-15Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 5/29/2018 (hs) (Entered: 05/15/2018)
2018-05-2911Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 05/29/2018)
2018-05-30MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 11 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall appear for a status conference on June 8, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on May 30, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 05/30/2018)
2018-05-31Set/Reset Hearings: Status Conference set for 6/8/2018 at 03:00 PM in Courtroom 16 before Judge Reggie B. Walton. (hs) (Entered: 05/31/2018)
2018-06-07MINUTE ORDER. Due to a change in the Court's calendar, the status conference currently set for June 8, 2018, is CONTINUED to Thursday, June 14, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on June 7, 2018. (lcrbw3) (Entered: 06/07/2018)
2018-06-08Set/Reset Hearings: Status Conference reset for 6/14/2018 at 11:00 AM in Courtroom 16 before Judge Reggie B. Walton. (hs) (Entered: 06/08/2018)
2018-06-14Amended Minute Entry; for proceedings held before Judge Reggie B. Walton: Status Conference held on 6/14/2018. Status Conference set for 8/21/2018 at 10:30 AM in Courtroom 16 before Judge Reggie B. Walton. (Court Reporter Cathryn Jones) (hs) Modified to correct the year from 2019 to 2018 on 6/14/2018 (hs). (Entered: 06/14/2018)
2018-06-1412ORDER. In accordance with the oral rulings issued at the status conference held this same date, it is hereby ORDERED that the Department of Justice shall immediately commence its search for responsive records and produce responsive records to the plaintiff on a rolling basis. It is further ORDERED that the Department of Justice may prioritize its search of 2016 records over records from 2015 and 2017, but it is not permitted to narrow the FOIA request's timeframe to only 2016 based on this prioritization. It is further ORDERED that the parties shall appear for a status conference on August 21, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on June 14, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 06/14/2018)
2018-06-14Set/Reset Hearings: Status Conference set for 8/21/2018 at 10:30 AM in Courtroom 16 before Judge Reggie B. Walton. (hs) (Entered: 06/14/2018)
2018-06-2713TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS before Judge Reggie B. Walton held on June 14, 2018; Page Numbers: 1 - 16. Court Reporter/Transcriber Cathryn Jones, Telephone number 202 354-3246, Transcripts may be ordered by submitting the <a href="http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/node/110">Transcript Order Form</a><P></P><P></P>For the first 90 days after this filing date, the transcript may be viewed at the courthouse at a public terminal or purchased from the court reporter referenced above. After 90 days, the transcript may be accessed via PACER. Other transcript formats, (multi-page, condensed, CD or ASCII) may be purchased from the court reporter.<P> NOTICE RE REDACTION OF TRANSCRIPTS: The parties have twenty-one days to file with the court and the court reporter any request to redact personal identifiers from this transcript. If no such requests are filed, the transcript will be made available to the public via PACER without redaction after 90 days. The policy, which includes the five personal identifiers specifically covered, is located on our website at www.dcd.uscourts.gov.<P></P> Redaction Request due 7/18/2018. Redacted Transcript Deadline set for 7/28/2018. Release of Transcript Restriction set for 9/25/2018.(Jones, Cathryn) (Entered: 06/27/2018)
2018-08-21Minute Entry; for proceedings held before Judge Reggie B. Walton: Status Conference held on 8/28/2018. Joint Status Report due by 9/21/2018. (Court Reporter Cathryn Jones) (hs) Modified on 8/21/2018 to reflect that the Joint Status Report is due 8/28/2018. (hs). (Entered: 08/21/2018)
2018-09-1914Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 09/19/2018)
2018-09-20MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 14 Joint Status Report Regarding Scheduling, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file an additional joint status report on or before October 5, 2018, regarding the status of this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on September 20, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 09/20/2018)
2018-09-20Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 10/5/2018 (hs) (Entered: 09/20/2018)
2018-10-0515Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 10/05/2018)
2018-10-09MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the 15 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties file an additional joint status report on or before November 2, 2018, regarding the progress of this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on October 9, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 10/09/2018)
2018-10-09Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 11/2/2018 (hs) (Entered: 10/09/2018)
2018-11-0216Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 11/02/2018)
2018-11-05MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 16 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties file an additional joint status report on or before November 14, 2018, regarding the progress of this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on November 5, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 11/05/2018)
2018-11-05Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 11/14/2018 (hs) (Entered: 11/05/2018)
2018-11-1417Joint STATUS REPORT by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 11/14/2018)
2018-11-15MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 17 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties file an additional joint status report on or before November 30, 2018, regarding the progress of this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on November 15, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 11/15/2018)
2018-11-15Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 11/30/2018 (hs) (Entered: 11/15/2018)
2018-11-3018Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 11/30/2018)
2018-12-03MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the parties' 18 Joint Status Report Regarding Scheduling, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a joint status report on or before January 8, 2019, regarding the progress of this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on December 3, 2018. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 12/03/2018)
2018-12-03Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 1/8/2019. (gdf) (Entered: 12/03/2018)
2018-12-2619Unopposed MOTION to Stay Forthcoming Status Report Deadline in Light of a Lapse in Appropriations by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 12/26/2018)
2019-01-02MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the government's 19 Unopposed Motion for a Stay of Forthcoming Status Report Deadline in Light of a Lapse of Appropriations, and for good cause shown, it is hereby ORDERED that the motion is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART. The motion is GRANTED to the extent that the government seeks to vacate the impending deadlines in this case. The motion is DENIED in all other respects. It is further ORDERED that the impending deadlines in this case are VACATED pending further Order of the Court. It is further ORDERED that, on or before January 28, 2019, the parties shall file a joint status report regarding how this case shall proceed. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on January 2, 2019. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 01/02/2019)
2019-01-02Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 1/28/2019 (hs) (Entered: 01/02/2019)
2019-01-24MINUTE ORDER. In light of the continued lapse in appropriations, it is hereby ORDERED that the previously imposed deadline for filing a joint status report on or before January 28, 2019, is VACATED. It is further ORDERED that, on or before fourteen days after appropriations have been restored, the parties shall file a joint status report proposing new deadlines in this case. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on January 24, 2019. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 01/24/2019)
2019-02-0120NOTICE TO THE COURT OF RESTORATION OF APPROPRIATIONS by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (Gerardi, Michael) (Entered: 02/01/2019)
2019-02-0521NOTICE of Appearance by Paul J. Orfanedes on behalf of JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Orfanedes, Paul) (Main Document 21 replaced on 2/5/2019) (ztd). (Main Document 21 replaced on 2/5/2019) (ztd). (Entered: 02/05/2019)
2019-02-06MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of the 20 Defendant's Notice of the Court of Restoration of Appropriations, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a joint status report regarding the progress of this case on or before February 22, 2019. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on February 6, 2019. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 02/06/2019)
2019-02-06Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 2/22/2019 (hs) (Entered: 02/06/2019)
2019-02-2222STIPULATION of Dismissal by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Orfanedes, Paul) (Entered: 02/22/2019)
2019-02-25MINUTE ORDER. In light of the parties' 22 Stipulation of Dismissal, it is hereby ORDERED that this case is DISMISSED with prejudice. It is further ORDERED that this case is CLOSED. Signed by Judge Reggie B. Walton on February 25, 2019. (lcrbw1) (Entered: 02/25/2019)
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