| Date Filed | Doc # | Docket Text |
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| 2022-06-30 | 1 | COMPLAINT against U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ( Filing fee $ 402 receipt number ADCDC-9341879) filed by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A:Commerce FOIA Request, # 2 Exhibit B:Confirmation of Receipt, # 3 Exhibit C:Fee Waiver Determination, # 4 Exhibit D:Status Update Emails, # 5 Civil Cover Sheet, # 6 Summons)(Field, Brian) (Entered: 06/30/2022) |
| 2022-07-01 | 2 | LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION (Field, Brian) (Entered: 07/01/2022) |
| 2022-07-01 | | Case Assigned to Judge Amy Berman Jackson. (znmg) (Entered: 07/01/2022) |
| 2022-07-01 | 3 | SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachment: # 1 Notice and Consent)(znmg) (Entered: 07/01/2022) |
| 2022-07-26 | 4 | RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 7/1/2022. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 7/31/2022. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of K. Robinson with Exhibits)(Field, Brian) (Entered: 07/26/2022) |
| 2022-07-26 | 5 | RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE served on 7/13/2022 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of K. Robinson with Exhibits)(Field, Brian) (Entered: 07/26/2022) |
| 2022-07-26 | 6 | RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 07/14/2022. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of K. Robinson with Exhibits)(Field, Brian) (Entered: 07/26/2022) |
| 2022-08-01 | 7 | NOTICE of Appearance by Giselle Barcia on behalf of U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 08/01/2022) |
| 2022-08-01 | 8 | NOTICE of Appearance by Hannah Solomon-Strauss on behalf of All Defendants (Solomon-Strauss, Hannah) (Entered: 08/01/2022) |
| 2022-08-01 | 9 | ANSWER to Complaint by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.(Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 08/01/2022) |
| 2022-08-03 | 10 | ORDER. Before the Court in this FOIA case are a complaint and an answer. The requirements of Local Civil Rule 16.3 and Rule 26(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure appear to be inapplicable. Defendant shall file a dispositive motion or, in the alternative, a report setting forth the schedule for the completion of its production of documents to plaintiff, on or before August 31, 2022. See Order for details. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 08/03/2022. (lcabj2) (Entered: 08/03/2022) |
| 2022-08-25 | 11 | NOTICE OF RELATED CASE by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. Case related to (Barcia, Giselle) (Main Document 11 replaced on 8/29/2022) (ztth). (Entered: 08/25/2022) |
| 2022-08-31 | 12 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 08/31/2022) |
| 2022-09-02 | | MINUTE ORDER. Plaintiff has filed eleven FOIA cases in this court against eleven different federal government agencies, seeking from each records sufficient to identify 1) all employees who entered a position in the agency as a political appointee since January 20, 2021 or 2) all career employees who were detailed to a position eligible to be filled by a political appointee or to a new position through coordination or consultation with either the White House Liaison or Presidential Personnel Office since January 20, 2021. See Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Commerce, 1:22-cv-01884-ABJ; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Energy, 1:22-cv-01888-RDM; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Health & Human Services, 1:22-cv-01895-TSC; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Homeland Security, 1:22-cv-01896-CJN; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of State, 1:22-cv-01897-CJN; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Transportation, 1:22-cv-01898-ABJ; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Treasury, 1:22-cv-01899-TSC; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Veterans Affairs, 1:22-cv-01900-ABJ; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Education, 1:22-cv-01901-DLF; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of the Interior, 1:22-cv-01903-BAH; Am. First Legal Found. v. U.S. Dep't of Labor, 1:22-cv-01905-CKK. Plaintiff has filed a notice of related case in each case, asserting that all of the cases are related under Local Civil Rule 40.5. Plaintiff maintains that they raise common issues of fact and law because they involve identical FOIA requests, and will, plaintiff predicts, result in similar document productions and involve similar FOIA exemptions. If the cases were related, Rule 40.5(c)(1) would direct that they be reassigned to the judge with the oldest pending case, which is America First Legal Foundation v. U.S. Department of Commerce, 1:22-cv-01884-ABJ. Upon review of plaintiff's notice of related case, though, the Court concludes that the eleven cases are not related under Local Rule 40.5. While the requests themselves called for the same types of records, that does not mean that litigation involving the agencies' responses will present common issues to be resolved. Summary judgment motions often test the adequacy of the search, and here, the requests were transmitted to eleven different agencies, with their own hiring processes, record keeping systems, and custodians. Each agency's effort to identify and produce documents responsive to plaintiff's request will involve searching the files of different custodians in different locations and on different systems, using terms appropriate to the agency, and the questions presented when each agency announces that the search has been completed will be different. Even the early stages of the litigation, when production schedules are established, will vary from agency to agency depending upon the volume of responsive material and the agency's FOIA resources. Moreover, the legitimacy of any claimed exemptions, another issue that can be litigated on summary judgment, may vary depending upon the mission of the agency, including whether it has a law enforcement function and the volume of classified material essential to its work. In sum, despite the similarity of the requests, it is not apparent now that the facts and law to be considered in determining whether each agency has complied with FOIA will be the same, and the cases will not be reassigned pursuant to Local Rule 40.5. This order does not rule out the possibility that cases could be consolidated in the future for the consideration of a common question of law. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 09/02/2022. (DMK) (Entered: 09/02/2022) |
| 2022-10-04 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 12 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by October 14, 2022. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 10/04/2022. (lcabj2) (Entered: 10/04/2022) |
| 2022-10-14 | 13 | Joint STATUS REPORT by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Field, Brian) (Entered: 10/14/2022) |
| 2022-10-17 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 13 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by November 18, 2022. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 10/17/2022. (lcabj2) (Entered: 10/17/2022) |
| 2022-11-18 | 14 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 11/18/2022) |
| 2022-11-21 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 14 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by December 16, 2022. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 11/21/2022. (lcabj2) (Entered: 11/21/2022) |
| 2022-12-16 | 15 | Joint STATUS REPORT by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Field, Brian) (Entered: 12/16/2022) |
| 2022-12-19 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 15 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by January 9, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 12/19/2022. (lcabj2) (Entered: 12/19/2022) |
| 2023-01-09 | 16 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 01/09/2023) |
| 2023-01-11 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 16 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by February 16, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 01/11/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 01/11/2023) |
| 2023-02-16 | 17 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 02/16/2023) |
| 2023-02-17 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 17 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by March 16, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 02/17/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 02/17/2023) |
| 2023-03-16 | 18 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 03/16/2023) |
| 2023-03-17 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 18 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by April 13, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 03/17/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 03/17/2023) |
| 2023-04-13 | 19 | Joint STATUS REPORT by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Field, Brian) (Entered: 04/13/2023) |
| 2023-04-14 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 19 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by May 11, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 04/14/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 04/14/2023) |
| 2023-05-11 | 20 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 05/11/2023) |
| 2023-05-15 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 20 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by June 16, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 05/15/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 05/15/2023) |
| 2023-06-16 | 21 | Joint STATUS REPORT by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Field, Brian) (Entered: 06/16/2023) |
| 2023-06-22 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 21 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by July 21, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 06/22/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 06/22/2023) |
| 2023-07-21 | 22 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 07/21/2023) |
| 2023-07-25 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 22 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by August 30, 2023. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 07/25/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 07/25/2023) |
| 2023-08-30 | 23 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 08/30/2023) |
| 2023-09-01 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 23 joint status report, the parties must file another joint status report by October 6, 2023. Further, defendant must increase its processing rate to at least 500 pages per month. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 09/01/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 09/01/2023) |
| 2023-10-04 | 24 | MOTION to Consolidate Cases , MOTION for Referral to a Magistrate Judge by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Solomon-Strauss, Hannah) (Entered: 10/04/2023) |
| 2023-10-04 | 25 | NOTICE of Opposition by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION re 24 Motion to Consolidate Cases, Motion for Referral to a Magistrate Judge (Field, Brian) (Entered: 10/04/2023) |
| 2023-10-06 | 26 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 10/06/2023) |
| 2023-10-11 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 26 joint status report, the parties must file another joint status report by November 16, 2023. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 10/11/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 10/11/2023) |
| 2023-10-11 | | Set/Reset Deadlines: Joint Status Report due by 11/16/2023. (nbn) (Entered: 10/12/2023) |
| 2023-10-18 | 27 | Memorandum in opposition to re 24 Motion to Consolidate Cases, Motion for Referral to a Magistrate Judge filed by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Field, Brian) (Entered: 10/18/2023) |
| 2023-10-25 | 28 | REPLY to opposition to motion re 24 MOTION to Consolidate Cases MOTION for Referral to a Magistrate Judge filed by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Solomon-Strauss, Hannah) (Entered: 10/25/2023) |
| 2023-10-26 | 29 | NOTICE of Forthcoming Motion for Leave to File a Surreply by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION re 28 Reply to opposition to Motion (Field, Brian) (Entered: 10/26/2023) |
| 2023-10-27 | 30 | ORDER denying 24 Motion to Consolidate Cases, Motion for Referral to a Magistrate Judge. See order for details. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 10/27/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 10/27/2023) |
| 2023-11-16 | 31 | Joint STATUS REPORT by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Field, Brian) (Entered: 11/16/2023) |
| 2023-11-20 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 31 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by January 4, 2024. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 11/20/2023. (lcabj2) (Entered: 11/20/2023) |
| 2024-01-04 | 32 | Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. (Barcia, Giselle) (Entered: 01/04/2024) |
| 2024-01-05 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 32 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by February 22, 2024. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 1/5/2024. (lcabj2) (Entered: 01/05/2024) |
| 2024-02-22 | 33 | Joint STATUS REPORT by AMERICA FIRST LEGAL FOUNDATION. (Field, Brian) (Entered: 02/22/2024) |
| 2024-02-28 | | MINUTE ORDER. In light of the 33 joint status report, it is ORDERED that the parties must file another joint status report by April 4, 2024. Signed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 2/28/2024. (lcabj2) (Entered: 02/28/2024) |
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