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Case TitleJUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE et al
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2020cv02288
Date Filed2020-08-19
Date Closed2023-12-20
JudgeJudge Jia M. Cobb
PlaintiffJUDICIAL WATCH, INC.
Case DescriptionJudicial Watch submitted FOIA requests to the Department of State and the Department of Defense for records concerning the use of chemicals during the Syrian Civil War. Both agencies acknowledged receipt of the requests but after hearing nothing further from either agency, Judicial Watch filed suit.
Complaint issues: Litigation - Vaughn index, Adequacy - Search, Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DefendantU.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
Complaint attachment 2
Complaint attachment 3
Complaint attachment 4
Complaint attachment 5
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2020-08-191COMPLAINT against All Defendants (US Department of State and US Department of Defense) ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number ADCDC-7484041) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons for US Attorney for DC, # 3 Summons for US Attorney General, # 4 Summons for US State Department, # 5 Summons for US Department of Defense)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 08/19/2020)
2020-08-192LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 08/19/2020)
2020-08-193NOTICE OF RELATED CASE by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. Case related to Case No. 1:20-cv-00694-KBJ. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 08/19/2020)
2020-08-20Case Assigned to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. (zsb) (Entered: 08/20/2020)
2020-08-204SUMMONS (4) Issued Electronically as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(adh, ) (Entered: 08/20/2020)
2020-08-205GENERAL ORDER AND GUIDELINES APPLICABLE TO FOIA CASES ASSIGNED TO JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON. The Court will hold the parties and counsel responsible for following these directives, and parties and counsel should pay particular attention to the Court's instructions for processing and production of records, batching motions, and filing exhibits. Failure to adhere to this Order may, when appropriate, result the imposition of sanctions and/or sua sponte denial of non-conforming motions. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 8/20/2020. (jag) (Entered: 08/20/2020)
2020-09-056RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 8/31/2020. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 9/30/2020. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of David Rothstein)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 09/05/2020)
2020-09-057RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 08/31/20. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of David Rothstein)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 09/05/2020)
2020-09-058RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE served on 8/31/2020 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of David Rothstein)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 09/05/2020)
2020-09-059RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE served on 8/31/2020 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of David Rothstein)(Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 09/05/2020)
2020-09-1510NOTICE of Appearance by Benton Gregory Peterson on behalf of All Defendants (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 09/15/2020)
2020-09-3011ANSWER to Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 09/30/2020)
2020-10-05MINUTE ORDER. Before the Court in this FOIA case are a complaint and an answer. It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall review this Court's 5 General Order and Guidelines Applicable to FOIA Cases, and promptly confer and file a joint proposed schedule for disclosure or briefing motions for summary judgment, on or before 10/19/2020. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 10/5/2020. (jaga) (Entered: 10/05/2020)
2020-10-1912ENTERED IN ERROR.....Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) Modified on 10/19/2020 (zjf). (Entered: 10/19/2020)
2020-10-19NOTICE OF CORRECTED DOCKET ENTRY: Document No. re 12 Status Report was entered in error and counsel was instructed to refile said pleading using the correct event (MEET AND CONFER) (zjf) (Entered: 10/19/2020)
2020-10-19MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 12 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 12/18/2020, the parties shall file a further joint status report, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 10/19/2020. (jag) (Entered: 10/19/2020)
2020-12-1813Joint STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 12/18/2020)
2020-12-21MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 13 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 2/18/2021, the parties shall file a further joint status report, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 12/21/2020. (jag) (Entered: 12/21/2020)
2021-02-1814ENTERED IN ERROR.....Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) Modified on 2/18/2021 (zjf). (Entered: 02/18/2021)
2021-02-18NOTICE OF CORRECTED DOCKET ENTRY: Document No. re 14 Status Report was entered in error and counsel was instructed to refile said pleading using the MEET & CONFER event. (zjf) (Entered: 02/18/2021)
2021-02-2215Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 02/22/2021)
2021-03-19MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 15 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 4/19/2021, the parties shall file a further joint status report, which shall include a proposed schedule for future proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 3/19/2021. (jag) (Entered: 03/19/2021)
2021-04-1916Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 04/19/2021)
2021-04-20MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 16 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 6/21/2021, the parties shall file a further joint status report, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 4/20/2021. (jag) (Entered: 04/20/2021)
2021-06-2117Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 06/21/2021)
2021-06-22MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 17 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 8/23/2021, the parties shall file a further joint status report. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 6/22/2021. (lcrc2) (Entered: 06/22/2021)
2021-06-22Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 8/23/2021. (zgdf) (Entered: 06/23/2021)
2021-06-29Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been elevated to serveon the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She is therefore nolonger assigned to this case, and this matter has been reassigned to theCalendar Committee, which will oversee it until it is assigned toanother district judge. Any questions should be directed to JudgeJackson's former deputy clerk, Gwendolyn Franklin, at 202-354-3145or gwen_franklin@dcd.uscourts.gov. (rj) (Entered: 06/29/2021)
2021-08-2318Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 08/23/2021)
2021-08-24MINUTE ORDER: In light of the representations in the parties' 18 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before October 25, 2021, the parties shall file a further joint status report. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 8/24/2021. (lcrc2) (Entered: 08/24/2021)
2021-08-25Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 10/25/2021. (zgdf) (Entered: 08/25/2021)
2021-10-2519STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 10/25/2021)
2021-10-25Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 12/9/2021. (zacr) (Entered: 10/26/2021)
2021-10-26MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the parties' 19 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file another joint status report on or before December 9, 2021. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 10/25/2021. (lcrc2) (Entered: 10/26/2021)
2021-10-26Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 12/9/2021. (adh, ) (Entered: 10/26/2021)
2021-11-15Case directly reassigned to Judge Jia M. Cobb. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been appointed to the D.C. Circuit and is no longer assigned to the case. (rj) (Entered: 11/15/2021)
2021-12-0920Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 12/09/2021)
2021-12-09MINUTE ORDER re 20 Status Report filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: The Court has reviewed the Joint Status Report and directs the Parties to file another Joint Status Report by February 11, 2022. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on December 9, 2021. (lcjmc2) (Entered: 12/09/2021)
2022-02-1121Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 02/11/2022)
2022-02-15MINUTE ORDER re 21 Status Report filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: The Court has reviewed the Joint Status Report and directs the Parties to file another Joint Status Report by April 11, 2022. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on February 15, 2022. (lcjmc3) (Entered: 02/15/2022)
2022-04-1122Joint STATUS REPORT by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 04/11/2022)
2022-04-11MINUTE ORDER re 22 Status Report filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.: The Court has reviewed the Joint Status Report and directs the Parties to file another Joint Status Report by June 10, 2022. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on April 11, 2022. (lcjmc3) (Entered: 04/11/2022)
2022-06-1023Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 06/10/2022)
2022-06-13MINUTE ORDER re 23 Joint Status Report by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: The Court has reviewed the Parties' Joint Status Report and directs the Parties to file another joint status report by August 9, 2022. It is further ORDERED that the Parties shall file joint status reports every 90 days thereafter until further order of the Court. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on June 13, 2022. (lcjmc3) (Entered: 06/13/2022)
2022-08-0924Joint STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 08/09/2022)
2022-11-0725Joint STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 11/07/2022)
2023-02-0726Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 02/07/2023)
2023-05-0827Joint STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 05/08/2023)
2023-05-09MINUTE ORDER re 27 Joint Status Report: The Court has reviewed the Parties' Joint Status Report. Per the Parties' request, the Court ORDERS the Parties to file another joint status report by July 14, 2023. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on May 9, 2023. (lcjmc3) (Entered: 05/09/2023)
2023-05-09Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 7/14/2023. (zgf) (Entered: 05/09/2023)
2023-07-1428Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 07/14/2023)
2023-07-14MINUTE ORDER re 28 Joint Status Report: The Court has reviewed the Parties' Joint Status Report. Per the Parties' request, the Court ORDERS the Parties to file another joint status report by August 14, 2023. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on July 14, 2023. (lcjmc3) (Entered: 07/14/2023)
2023-08-1429Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 08/14/2023)
2023-08-14MINUTE ORDER re 29 Joint Status Report: The Court has reviewed the Parties' Joint Status Report. Per the Parties' request, the Court ORDERS the Parties to file another joint status report by September 14, 2023. The Court further ORDERS the Parties to submit additional status reports every 30 days until the Court orders otherwise. Signed by Judge Jia M. Cobb on August 14, 2023. (lcjmc3) (Entered: 08/14/2023)
2023-09-1430Joint STATUS REPORT Joint Status Report by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 09/14/2023)
2023-10-1631Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 10/16/2023)
2023-11-1532Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Peterson, Benton) (Entered: 11/15/2023)
2023-12-1533STIPULATION of Dismissal Stipulation of Dismissal by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Aldrich, Jason) (Entered: 12/15/2023)
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