The FOIA Project is announcing a new brief bank initiative to collect documents for federal FOIA cases to make available to the FOIA community. Below are the first 15 FOIA cases with a rich trove of supplemental material.
What is the Brief Bank Initiative?
Although the FOIA Project keeps diligent track of federal FOIA-related lawsuits by downloading docket sheets, complaints, and opinions from PACER and annotating and classifying each case on legal issues and other characteristics, the project does not download briefs due to the prohibitively high cost of doing so at $0.10 per page. Yet briefs are of inestimable value to FOIA requesters and litigators both in terms of preparing FOIA requests and lawsuits, but also enabling more systematic research on the veracity and consistency of government claims across various court cases. Therefore, we are now seeking organizations, FOIA requesters, and attorneys to contribute their briefs (including government supporting declarations) so that these can be added to our collection.
How does the Brief Bank Initiative Work?
Because TRAC has considerable experience with large-scale data management, we developed document and data management programs specific to the FOIA Project that not only allow us to upload user-contributed documents to the website, but also enables us to link each brief to its proper court case. This means that when users search FOIAProject.org, they will not only receive links to documents and opinions that we download automatically, but users also receive links to any contributed briefs and declarations, as well. Existing search tools automatically include in the response to queries links to not only documents and opinions, but also to any contributed briefs and declarations.
How can you get involved?
To contribute, send documents to Dr. Austin Kocher, TRAC Faculty Fellow, at ackocher@syr.edu.
List of Cases with Court Documents
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Homeland Security (Filed 2017, Open)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice et al. (Filed 2016, Open)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice et al. (Filed 2016, Open)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice (Filed 2018, Open)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Health And Human Services (Filed 2018, Closed 2020)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice et al. (Filed 2016, Closed 2020)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice (Filed 2017, Closed 2020)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Central Intelligence Agency et al. (Filed 2017, Closed 2019)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice (Filed 2017, Closed 2018)
- James Madison Project et al. v. General Services Administration (Filed 2017, Closed 2018)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice et al. (Filed 2016, Closed 2018)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of State (Filed 2015, Closed 2018)
- James Madison Project et al. v. Department of Justice (Filed 2017, Closed 2018)
- James Madison Project v. Department of Justice et al. (Filed 2015, Closed 2017)
- Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (Filed 2017, Closed 2017)
We have added 75 documents from 14 FOIA cases filed between August 16, 2020 and August 22, 2020. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- NATIONAL STUDENT LEGAL DEFENSE NETWORK et al v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (filed Aug 17, 2020)
The National Student Legal Defense Network and American Oversight submitted two FOIA requests to the Department of Education for records concerning performance agreements and bonus evaluations between the agency and the Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid for Fiscal Years 2018-2020. The agency acknowledged receipt of the requests but after hearing nothing further from the agency, NSLDN and American Oversight filed suit read more…
We have added 10 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between August 16, 2020 and August 22, 2020. These are associated with 10 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- CAN 3:2020cv03619 — Pangea Legal Services v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
- August 19, 2020: STIPULATION AND ORDER RE [22] on Case Management Schedule. Signed by Judge Richard Seeborg on 8/19/2020. (cl, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 8/19/2020)
We have added 180 documents from 19 FOIA cases filed between August 9, 2020 and August 15, 2020. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- CALLIMACHI v. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION (filed Aug 11, 2020)
Journalist Rukmini Callimachi submitted three FOIA requests to the National Archives and Records Administration. Her first FOIA request was for records concerning the 1989 Romanian revolution. Her second FOIA request was for records concerning the 1989 Malta summit between President George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev read more…
We have added 16 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between August 9, 2020 and August 15, 2020. These are associated with 15 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- AZ 2:2020cv00099 — Langton v. United States Department of Homeland Security
- August 11, 2020: ORDER granting [16] Motion for Summary Judgment and denying as moot [16] Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim. The Clerk is ordered to enter judgment against Plaintiff and terminate this action. Signed by Magistrate Judge John Z Boyle on 8/11/20. (DXD)
We have added 99 documents from 16 FOIA cases filed between August 2, 2020 and August 8, 2020. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- Justice Action Center v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security et al (filed Aug 3, 2020)
The Justice Action Center submitted FOIA requests to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice for records concerning the reopening of previously administratively closed removal proceedings for DACA recipients. JAC also requested a fee waiver. The agencies acknowledged receipt of the requests read more…
We have added 16 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between August 2, 2020 and August 8, 2020. These are associated with 12 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- DC 1:2017cv01621 — LIOUNIS v. KREBS et al
- August 3, 2020: MEMORANDUM OPINION. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on 8-3-2020. (lcckk3)
We have added 144 documents from 16 FOIA cases filed between July 26, 2020 and August 1, 2020. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS v. OFFICE OF INFORMATION POLICY et al (filed Jul 31, 2020)
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press submitted a FOIA request to the Office of Information Policy for records concerning the office’s response to the OGIS Empowerment Act of 2018, which would have required agencies to make records needed by OGIS to conduct its review of complaints available to OGIS read more…
We have added 10 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between July 26, 2020 and August 1, 2020. These are associated with 9 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- DC 1:2007cv02050 — BLOCHE et al v. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE et al
- July 27, 2020: MEMORANDUM OPINION granting [127] Defendant's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. See document for details. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 07/27/2020. (lcrc3)
We have added 95 documents from 15 FOIA cases filed between July 19, 2020 and July 25, 2020. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- Galliani et al v. Internal Revenue Service (filed Jul 20, 2020)
Raymond and Sharon Galliani submitted a FOIA request through their attorneys to the IRS for records concerning their tax records. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request but after hearing nothing further from the agency, the Gallianis filed suit. read more…
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