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Case TitleJUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2017cv00205
Date Filed2017-01-31
Date Closed2021-03-31
JudgeJudge Christopher R. Cooper
PlaintiffJUDICIAL WATCH, INC.
Case DescriptionJudicial Watch submitted a FOIA request to the Department of State for records concerning the agency's search and processing of a previous FOIA request submitted by Judicial Watch in May 2014. 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 STATE
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

2017-01-311COMPLAINT against DEPARTMENT OF STATE ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number 0090-4826131) filed by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons US Attorney for DC, # 3 Summons US Attorney General, # 4 Summons DOS)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 01/31/2017)
2017-01-312LCvR 7.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 01/31/2017)
2017-01-31Case Assigned to Judge Christopher R. Cooper. (jd) (Entered: 02/02/2017)
2017-02-023SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Consent Forms)(jd) (Entered: 02/02/2017)
2017-02-134RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 2/13/2017. ( Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 3/15/2017.), RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 2/13/2017., RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE served on 2/13/2017 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of Cristina Rotaru)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 02/13/2017)
2017-02-225NOTICE of Errata by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. re 4 Summons Returned Executed in FOIA as to U.S. Attorney,,, Summons Returned Executed as to U.S. Attorney General,,, Summons Returned Executed as to Federal Defendant,, (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 02/22/2017)
2017-02-226RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 2/13/2017. ( Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 3/15/2017.), RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 2/13/2017., RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of Cristina Rotaru)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 02/22/2017)
2017-03-157NOTICE of Appearance by Robert J. Prince on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 03/15/2017)
2017-03-158ANSWER to Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Attachments: # 1 FOIA Request Letter)(Prince, Robert) (Entered: 03/15/2017)
2017-03-15MINUTE ORDER: Before the Court in this FOIA case are a Complaint and an Answer. Since the requirements of LCvR 16.3 and Rule 26(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not apply, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall confer and file a joint proposed schedule for briefing or disclosure by March 29, 2017. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 3/15/2017. (lccrc3) (Entered: 03/15/2017)
2017-03-16Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Proposed Briefing Schedule or Disclosure due by 3/29/2017. (zlsj) (Entered: 03/16/2017)
2017-03-289Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 03/28/2017)
2017-06-0510STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Attachments: # 1 Defendants Submission Regarding Processing Rates in Other Recent FOIA Cases, American Center for Law and Justice v. Dept of State)(Prince, Robert) (Entered: 06/05/2017)
2017-06-0511STATUS REPORT by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1)(Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 06/05/2017)
2017-06-30MINUTE ORDER: The Court has fully considered the parties' 10 , 11 Status Reports. It is hereby ORDERED that the State Department shall review and complete processing of a minimum of 300 pages of documents every four weeks. It is further ORDERED that the Department shall file a status report every four weeks to update the Court on the pace of its production. The Court also encourages the Plaintiff to prioritize the categories of documents that are subject to processing and orders the Defendant to produce documents in that priority to the extent practicable. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 6/30/2017. (lccrc3) (Entered: 06/30/2017)
2017-07-1012STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 07/10/2017)
2017-08-0713STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 08/07/2017)
2017-09-0614STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 09/06/2017)
2017-10-0415STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 10/04/2017)
2017-10-3116STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 10/31/2017)
2017-11-2917STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 11/29/2017)
2017-12-2718STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 12/27/2017)
2018-01-2219STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 01/22/2018)
2018-02-2120STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 02/21/2018)
2018-03-2121STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 03/21/2018)
2018-04-1822STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 04/18/2018)
2018-05-1523NOTICE of Appearance by Joseph Evan Borson on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Borson, Joseph) (Entered: 05/15/2018)
2018-05-1524STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Borson, Joseph) (Entered: 05/15/2018)
2018-06-1325STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 06/13/2018)
2018-07-1126STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 07/11/2018)
2018-08-0827STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 08/08/2018)
2018-09-0528STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 09/05/2018)
2018-09-05MINUTE ORDER: In light of the 28 September 5, 2018 Status Report, the parties are ordered to confer regarding further proceedings and file a joint status report by September 26, 2018. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 09/05/2018. (lccrc3) (Entered: 09/05/2018)
2018-09-06Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 9/26/2018 (lsj) (Entered: 09/06/2018)
2018-09-1029ERRATA by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 28 Status Report filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 09/10/2018)
2018-09-2530Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 09/25/2018)
2018-09-27MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the parties' 30 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further status report on or before February 6, 2019. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 09/27/2018. (lccrc3) (Entered: 09/27/2018)
2018-09-27Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 2/6/2019 (lsj) (Entered: 09/27/2018)
2019-02-0431NOTICE of Appearance by James F. Peterson on behalf of JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. (Peterson, James) (Entered: 02/04/2019)
2019-02-0432Joint MOTION to Stay pending the Resolution of Related Discovery Proceedings in 14-cv-1242-RCL by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Prince, Robert) (Entered: 02/04/2019)
2019-02-0633ORDER granting 32 Joint Motion to Stay. See full Order for details. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 02/06/2019. (lccrc3) (Entered: 02/06/2019)
2019-07-29MINUTE ORDER: The parties are directed to file a joint status report on or before August 5, 2019, to include any updates regarding the discovery dispute in 14-cv-1242. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 07/29/2019. (lccrc3) (Entered: 07/29/2019)
2019-07-29Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 8/5/2019 (lsj) (Entered: 07/29/2019)
2019-08-0534Joint STATUS REPORT by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 08/05/2019)
2019-08-05MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the parties' 34 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that this case shall remain stayed. The parties are directed to file a status report within one week of a court order regarding further discovery in 14-cv-1242-RCL. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 08/05/2019. (lccrc3) (Entered: 08/05/2019)
2019-08-3035Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 08/30/2019)
2019-09-03MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the parties' 35 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that this case shall remain stayed. The parties are directed to file a joint status report within two weeks after the December 19, 2019 hearing to be held in 14-cv-1242-RCL. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 09/03/2019. (lccrc3) (Entered: 09/03/2019)
2019-09-04Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 1/2/2020 (lsj) (Entered: 09/04/2019)
2019-12-1936Joint STATUS REPORT by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 12/19/2019)
2019-12-20MINUTE ORDER: In light of 36 Joint Status Report, the parties are hereby ORDERED to file a further joint status report within three weeks after any order in 14-cv-1242-RCL pertaining to additional discovery to update the Court on the discovery status of that case. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 12/20/2019. (lccrc3) (Entered: 12/20/2019)
2020-03-2037Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Prince, Robert) (Entered: 03/20/2020)
2020-03-22MINUTE ORDER: In light of 37 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that this case shall remain stayed. The parties are directed to file a further joint status report on or before June 5, 2020. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 03/22/2020. (lccrc3) (Entered: 03/22/2020)
2020-03-23Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 6/5/2020 (lsj) (Entered: 03/23/2020)
2020-06-0138NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Stephen M. Pezzi on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Substituting for attorney Robert J. Prince; Joseph E. Borson (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 06/01/2020)
2020-06-0539Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 06/05/2020)
2020-06-08MINUTE ORDER: In light of 39 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that this case shall remain stayed. The parties are directed to file a further joint status report on or before September 7, 2020. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 06/08/2020. (lccrc3) (Entered: 06/08/2020)
2020-06-08Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 9/7/2020 (lsj) (Entered: 06/08/2020)
2020-09-0440Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 09/04/2020)
2020-09-08MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 40 the parties' most recent Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further Joint Status Report on or before October 23, 2020. It is further ORDERED that this case shall remain stayed. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 09/08/2020. (lccrc3) Modified on 9/8/2020 (lsj). (Entered: 09/08/2020)
2020-10-2341Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Pl.'s Ex. 1 - JW's Opp'n to Mot. to Vacate in 14-1242-RCL, # 2 Exhibit Pl.'s Ex. 2 - JW's Rehearing Petition, # 3 Exhibit Pl.'s Ex. 3 - March 2020 Discovery Order in 14-1242-RCL, # 4 Exhibit Def.'s Ex. 1 - D.C. Circuit Opinion in In re Hillary Rodham Clinton & Cheryl Mills, # 5 Exhibit Def.'s Ex. 2 - Def.'s Mot. to Vacate in 14-1242-RCL, # 6 Exhibit Def.'s Ex. 3 - JW's Opp'n to Mot. to Vacate in 14-1242-RCL)(Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 10/23/2020)
2020-10-28MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the 41 Joint Status Report, and in light of the D.C. Circuit's decision In re: Hillary Rodham Clinton and Cheryl Mills , 973 F.3d 106 (D.C. Cir. 2020), it is hereby ORDERED that the stay in this case is LIFTED. It is further ORDERED that the parties shall promptly meet and confer and shall file a further Joint Status Report on or before November 11, 2020, setting forth a proposed schedule for further proceedings, including, if necessary, summary judgment briefing. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 10/28/2020. (lccrc3) (Entered: 10/28/2020)
2020-11-1042Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 11/10/2020)
2020-11-11MINUTE ORDER: In light of the 42 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further Joint Status Report on or before January 8, 2021. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 11/11/2020. (lccrc3) (Entered: 11/11/2020)
2021-01-0843Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 01/08/2021)
2021-01-11MINUTE ORDER: In light of the 43 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ordered that the parties shall file a further Joint Status Report on or before February 4, 2021. It is further ordered that the parties shall appear for a status conference on February 9, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. by videoconference. Instructions for videoconference access will be communicated to the parties separately. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 01/11/2021. (lccrc3) (Entered: 01/11/2021)
2021-01-12Set/Reset Hearings: Status Conference set for 2/9/2021 at 10:00 AM by VTC before Judge Christopher R. Cooper. (lsj) (Entered: 01/12/2021)
2021-02-0244Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 02/02/2021)
2021-02-03MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of the 44 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ordered that the parties shall file a further Joint Status Report addressing fees and costs on or before March 4, 2021, if this case is not dismissed earlier. If any disputes remain, the Joint Status Report due March 4 shall include a proposed schedule for briefing on the issue of fees and costs. It is further ordered that the status conference previously scheduled for February 9, 2021 is vacated. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 02/03/2021. (lccrc3) (Entered: 02/03/2021)
2021-03-0345Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Pezzi, Stephen) (Entered: 03/03/2021)
2021-03-04MINUTE ORDER: In light of the 45 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ordered that the parties shall file a further Joint Status Report by April 6, 2021, if this case is not dismissed sooner. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 03/04/2021. (lccrc3) (Entered: 03/04/2021)
2021-03-3146STIPULATION of Dismissal by JUDICIAL WATCH, INC.. (Cotca, Ramona) (Entered: 03/31/2021)
2021-03-31MINUTE ORDER: In light of the 46 Stipulation of Dismissal, this case is hereby dismissed. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 03/31/2021. (lccrc3) (Entered: 03/31/2021)
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