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Case TitleAMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DistrictDistrict of Columbia
CityWashington, DC
Case Number1:2023cv00419
Date Filed2023-02-14
Date ClosedOpen
JudgeJudge Carl J. Nichols
PlaintiffAMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION
Case DescriptionAmerica First Legal Foundation submitted five FOIA requests to the Department of State, the majority of which related to Palestinian terrorists. The agency acknowledged receipt of the requests. After hearing nothing further from the agency, AFL filed suit.
Complaint issues: Failure to respond within statutory time limit, Adequacy - Search, Litigation - Vaughn index, Public Interest Fee Waiver, Litigation - Attorney's fees

DefendantUNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Documents
Docket
Complaint
Complaint attachment 1
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Complaint attachment 5
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Complaint attachment 7
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Complaint attachment 9
Complaint attachment 10
Complaint attachment 11
Complaint attachment 12
Complaint attachment 13
Complaint attachment 14
Complaint attachment 15
Complaint attachment 16
User-contributed Documents
 
Docket Events (Hide)
Date FiledDoc #Docket Text

2023-02-141COMPLAINT against UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number ADCDC-9861149) filed by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit, # 2 Exhibit, # 3 Exhibit, # 4 Exhibit, # 5 Exhibit, # 6 Exhibit, # 7 Exhibit, # 8 Exhibit, # 9 Exhibit, # 10 Exhibit, # 11 Exhibit, # 12 Exhibit, # 13 Civil Cover Sheet, # 14 Summons, # 15 Summons, # 16 Summons)(Meckler, Jacob) (Entered: 02/14/2023)
2023-02-152NOTICE of Appearance by Michael Ding on behalf of AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION (Ding, Michael) (Entered: 02/15/2023)
2023-02-15Case Assigned to Judge Carl J. Nichols. (zsl) (Entered: 02/15/2023)
2023-02-153SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zsl) (Entered: 02/15/2023)
2023-02-224LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION (Meckler, Jacob) (Entered: 02/22/2023)
2023-02-225ERRATA by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Meckler, Jacob) (Entered: 02/22/2023)
2023-03-026STANDING ORDER. Signed by Judge Carl J. Nichols on March 2, 2023. (lccjn3) (Entered: 03/02/2023)
2023-03-077RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 02/27/2023. (Meckler, Jacob) (Entered: 03/07/2023)
2023-03-078RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE served on 2/27/2023 (Meckler, Jacob) (Entered: 03/07/2023)
2023-03-079RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 2/22/2023. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 3/24/2023. (Meckler, Jacob) (Entered: 03/07/2023)
2023-03-2410ANSWER to Complaint by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE.(Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 03/24/2023)
2023-04-10MINUTE ORDER. Before the Court in this Freedom of Information Act case are a Complaint and an Answer. Pursuant to Local Civil Rule 16.3, the requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(f) are inapplicable. It is hereby ORDERED that the Parties shall confer and file a Joint Status Report on or before April 21, 2023. The Joint Status Report shall address: (1) the status of Plaintiff's FOIA request; (2) the anticipated number of documents responsive to Plaintiff's FOIA request; (3) the anticipated dates for release of the documents requested by Plaintiff; (4) whether a motion for stay is likely under Open America v. Watergate Special Prosecution Force, 547 F.2d 605 (D.C. Cir. 1976); (5) the possibility of prioritizing documents responsive to Plaintiff's request and any discussions regarding whether Plaintiff's request can be narrowed; and (6) whether the Parties anticipate summary judgment briefing and, if so, a proposed briefing schedule. Signed by Judge Carl J. Nichols on April 10, 2023. (lccjn3) (Entered: 04/10/2023)
2023-04-2111Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Attachments: # 1 Plaintiff's Proposed Order, # 2 Defendant's Proposed Order)(Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 04/21/2023)
2023-05-02MINUTE ORDER. Upon consideration of 11 Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties submit their next status report on or before June 6, 2023, and every 60 days thereafter. The government shall make its first production on or before May 31, 2023, and every 30 days thereafter at a rate of 400 pages per month. The parties shall update the Court as to the status of narrowing the scope of the request and whether a modification to the schedule is warranted as a result. Signed by Judge Carl J. Nichols on May 2, 2023. (lccjn3) (Entered: 05/02/2023)
2023-06-0612Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 06/06/2023)
2023-08-0713Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 08/07/2023)
2023-10-0614Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 10/06/2023)
2023-12-0515Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 12/05/2023)
2024-02-0516Joint STATUS REPORT by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE. (Simon, Jeremy) (Entered: 02/05/2024)
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