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Case TitleWILDEARTH GUARDIANS v. UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2017cv01849
Date Filed2017-09-08
Date Closed2019-06-10
JudgeJudge Ketanji Brown Jackson
PlaintiffWILDEARTH GUARDIANS
Case DescriptionWildlife Guardians submitted a FOIA request to the Bureau of Land Management for records concerning the agency's decision to hold onshore oil and gas leasing sales online. The agency acknowledged Wildlife Guardian's request and assigned it to its complex track. Wildlife Guardians filed an administrative appeal of that decision. BLM ordered the FOIA staff to provide more details about its plans to process Wildlife Guardian's request. Wildlife Guardian's also submitted a second FOIA request for similar records concerning online oil and gas sales. After hearing nothing further from the agency, however, Wildlife Guardians filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantUNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
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

2017-09-081COMPLAINT for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief against UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT ( Filing fee $ 400 receipt number 0090-5108487) filed by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons U.S. Bureau of Land Management, # 3 Summons U.S. Attorney District of DC, # 4 Summons U.S. Attorney General)(Mellgren, John) (Entered: 09/08/2017)
2017-09-082MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice :Attorney Name- Shannon I. Laun, :Firm- Western Environmental Law Center, :Address- 1402 Third Avenue, Suite 1022, Seattle, Washington 98101. Phone No. - (206) 487-7225. Filing fee $ 100, receipt number 0090-5108559. Fee Status: Fee Paid. by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS (Attachments: # 1 Declaration, # 2 Text of Proposed Order)(Mellgren, John) (Entered: 09/08/2017)
2017-09-083LCvR 7.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS (Mellgren, John) (Entered: 09/08/2017)
2017-09-11Case Assigned to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. (zsb) (Entered: 09/11/2017)
2017-09-114SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Consent Form)(zsb) (Entered: 09/11/2017)
2017-09-12MINUTE ORDER granting 2 Motion for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice. It is hereby ORDERED that Shannon I. Laun is admitted pro hac vice in this matter as counsel for Plaintiff. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 09/12/2017. (lckbj1) (Entered: 09/12/2017)
2017-09-255NOTICE of Appearance by Shannon I. Laun on behalf of WILDEARTH GUARDIANS (Laun, Shannon) (Entered: 09/25/2017)
2017-09-256RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 9/25/2017. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 10/25/2017. (Attachments: # 1 Affidavit of Mailing, # 2 Exhibit - Certified Mail Receipts)(Mellgren, John) (Entered: 09/25/2017)
2017-09-257RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 09/25/2017. (Attachments: # 1 Affidavit of Mailing, # 2 Exhibit - Certified Mail Receipts)(Mellgren, John) (Entered: 09/25/2017)
2017-09-258RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT served on 9/22/2017 (Attachments: # 1 Affidavit of Mailing, # 2 Exhibit - Certified Mail Receipts)(Mellgren, John) (Entered: 09/25/2017)
2017-10-099GENERAL ORDER AND GUIDELINES FOR CIVIL CASES BEFORE 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 Courts instructions for briefing 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 10/9/2017. (lckbj1) (Entered: 10/09/2017)
2017-10-2410NOTICE of Appearance by Claire M. Whitaker on behalf of UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (Whitaker, Claire) (Entered: 10/24/2017)
2017-10-2411MOTION for Extension of Time to File Answer by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Whitaker, Claire) (Entered: 10/24/2017)
2017-10-26MINUTE ORDER granting, for good cause shown, 11 Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time to Answer, nunc pro tunc. It is hereby ORDERED that Defendant shall answer or otherwise respond to the complaint on or before 11/27/2017. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 10/26/2017. (lckbj1) (Entered: 10/26/2017)
2017-11-2712ANSWER to Complaint by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT.(Whitaker, Claire) (Entered: 11/27/2017)
2017-11-30MINUTE ORDER. Before the Court in this FOIA case are a complaint and an answer. It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall promptly confer and file a joint proposed schedule for briefing or disclosure, on or before 12/14/2017. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 11/30/2017. (lckbj1) (Entered: 11/30/2017)
2017-12-1413Joint STATUS REPORT and Proposed Schedule by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. (Whitaker, Claire) (Entered: 12/14/2017)
2017-12-21MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 13 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further status report on or before 2/9/2018, which shall contain a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 12/21/2017. (lckbj1) (Entered: 12/21/2017)
2018-02-0914Consent MOTION for Extension of Time to file a Joint Status Report by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Whitaker, Claire) (Entered: 02/09/2018)
2018-02-13MINUTE ORDER granting, for good cause shown, 14 Consent Motion for Extension of Time to File Joint Status Report, nunc pro tunc. It is hereby ORDERED that the parties' Joint Status Report is due on or before 2/15/2018. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 02/13/2018. (lckbj1) (Entered: 02/13/2018)
2018-02-1515Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. (Whitaker, Claire) (Entered: 02/15/2018)
2018-02-21MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 15 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further status report on or before 8/15/2018, which shall contain a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 2/21/2018. (lckbj1) (Entered: 02/21/2018)
2018-04-2416NOTICE of Change of Address by John R. Mellgren (Mellgren, John) (Entered: 04/24/2018)
2018-05-2917NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF APPEARANCE as to WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. Attorney Shannon I. Laun terminated. (Laun, Shannon) (Entered: 05/29/2018)
2018-06-0618MOTION for Leave to Appear Pro Hac Vice :Attorney Name- Laura H. King, :Firm- Western Environmental Law Center, :Address- 103 Reeder's Alley, Helena, Montana 59601. Phone No. - 406-204-4852. Filing fee $ 100, receipt number 0090-5520956. Fee Status: Fee Paid. by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS (Attachments: # 1 Declaration, # 2 Text of Proposed Order)(Mellgren, John) (Entered: 06/06/2018)
2018-06-07MINUTE ORDER. Pending before the Court is Plaintiff's 18 motion for its counsel, Laura H. King, to appear pro hac vice in this matter. In her supporting declaration, Ms. King represents that she has been admitted pro hac vice in this Court four times in the past two years. Given this history, the Court will GRANT Ms. King permission to appear pro hac vice in the instant matter, but will also ORDER that she must seek admission to the Bar of this Court (rather than filing a sixth application for leave to appear pro hac vice) if she seeks to represent a client in any matter before this Court in the next two years. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 06/07/2018. (lckbj1) (Entered: 06/07/2018)
2018-06-0719NOTICE of Appearance by Laura H. King on behalf of WILDEARTH GUARDIANS (King, Laura) (Entered: 06/07/2018)
2018-08-1020NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Rhonda Lisa Campbell on behalf of UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Substituting for attorney Claire M. Whitaker (Campbell, Rhonda) (Entered: 08/10/2018)
2018-08-1521Joint STATUS REPORT by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. (King, Laura) (Entered: 08/15/2018)
2018-08-17MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 21 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further status report on or before 10/31/2018, which shall contain a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 8/18/2018. (lckbj2) (Entered: 08/17/2018)
2018-09-0422NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF APPEARANCE as to UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. Attorney Rhonda Lisa Campbell terminated. (Campbell, Rhonda) (Entered: 09/04/2018)
2018-09-1323NOTICE OF SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL by Matthew Evan Kahn on behalf of UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Substituting for attorney Rhonda Campbell (Kahn, Matthew) (Entered: 09/13/2018)
2018-10-3124Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. (Kahn, Matthew) (Entered: 10/31/2018)
2018-11-05MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 24 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further joint status report on or before 1/31/2019, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 11/5/2018. (lckbj1) (Entered: 11/05/2018)
2019-01-3125Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. (Kahn, Matthew) (Entered: 01/31/2019)
2019-02-05MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 25 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further joint status report on or before 3/9/2019, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 2/5/2019. (lckbj1) (Entered: 02/05/2019)
2019-03-0726Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. (Kahn, Matthew) (Entered: 03/07/2019)
2019-03-07MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 26 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further joint status report on or before 3/21/2019, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 3/7/2019. (lckbj1) (Entered: 03/07/2019)
2019-03-2127Joint STATUS REPORT by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. (King, Laura) (Entered: 03/21/2019)
2019-03-28MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 27 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further joint status report on or before 4/25/2019, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 3/28/2019. (lckbj1) (Entered: 03/28/2019)
2019-04-2428Joint STATUS REPORT by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. (King, Laura) (Entered: 04/24/2019)
2019-04-26MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 28 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a further joint status report on or before 5/24/2019, which shall include a proposed schedule for further proceedings if litigation is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 4/26/2019. (lckbj1) (Entered: 04/26/2019)
2019-05-2429Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. (Kahn, Matthew) (Entered: 05/24/2019)
2019-05-29MINUTE ORDER. In light of the representations in the parties' 29 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that, on or before 6/7/2019, 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 5/29/2019. (lckbj1) (Entered: 05/29/2019)
2019-06-0630Joint STATUS REPORT by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. (King, Laura) (Entered: 06/06/2019)
2019-06-10MINUTE ORDER. Where only attorneys' fees remain at issue in a FOIA case, it is the practice of this Court to close the case administratively while it awaits notice from the parties regarding settlement of the attorneys' fees or a joint proposed schedule for briefing this remaining dispute. Accordingly, in light of the representations in the parties' 30 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that this matter be ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED. It is FURTHER ORDERED that the parties shall file a joint status report on or before 7/7/2019, which shall contain a proposed schedule for briefing the issue of attorneys' fees, if such briefing is going to be necessary. Signed by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on 6/10/2019. (lckbj1) (Entered: 06/10/2019)
2019-07-0131Joint STATUS REPORT by WILDEARTH GUARDIANS. (Mellgren, John) (Entered: 07/01/2019)
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