Case: Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice
1:18-cv-01854 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia
Filed Date: Aug. 7, 2018
Closed Date: Dec. 5, 2022
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Case Summary
This case is related to the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse's coverage of the Carter Page Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants. For more information on litigation to disclose the warrants that inspired this case, please see this link. For a summary of the warrants and information on ongoing efforts by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to protect the confidential information in them, see this link.
The FISA requires the government to obtain a warrant from the FISC before it may conduct any domestic electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information. The warrant applications are made ex parte and must include a sworn statement by a federal officer of the facts and circumstances relied upon to justify the government's belief that the target of surveillance is a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power. Once a FISC judge receives a warrant application, the judge can order approval of the surveillance only if the judge finds that there is probable cause to believe that the target of the electronic surveillance is a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power. Because the orders only authorize surveillance up to 90 days, the government must file an application for an extension that meets the same requirements as the initial warrant application and obtain a renewal order from the FISC for continued surveillance. For the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse collection of FISA matters, see our special collection.
On August 7, 2018, Judicial Watch, a conservative-leaning nonprofit specializing in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation to expose government mismanagement, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under FOIA (5 U.S.C. § 552) against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking records surrounding surveillance of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. In a separate case, the FISC released an opinion (In re Carter W. Page: A U.S. Person [FISA dockets 16-1182, 17-52, 17-375, 17-679]) flagging this case as one that could lead to lawful release of information in the Carter Page FISA warrants. The case was assigned to Judge Amy Berman Jackson.
The complaint stated that the plaintiff initially submitted its FOIA request with the DOJ on May 29, 2018, and that as of the date of the complaint, the DOJ had not provided any responsive information to the request. The plaintiff sought information from three offices within the DOJ: the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the office of a particular former Associate Deputy Attorney General, and the Office of the Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. It was looking for any information these offices had pertaining to communications and background information on Fusion GPS, a commercial research and intelligence firm, and various sources publicly disclosed as the basis for the "Steele Dossier," the primary document the DOJ used to pursue FISA surveillance of Trump 2016 campaign advisor Carter Page.
After the complaint was filed, representatives from the plaintiff organization and the DOJ met to discuss a schedule for releasing relevant, non-exempt records under FOIA. In an October 19, 2018 status report, the parties agreed to produce documents on a six-month timeframe, with more updates to come as needed. As investigation commenced, more responsive documents were found that necessitated other searches, and this, combined with the government shutdown in late 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic, delayed completion of this document request. As of the most recent status report, filed on December 11, 2020, the parties anticipate that the DOJ will be able to estimate a date for final document production in early 2021.
According to a joint status report filed on November 14, 2022, DOJ completed its search and processing of responsive records and transmitted its final interim response to Judicial Watch on February 10, 2022, and the parties continued to confer regarding settlement, including claims for attorneys’ fees and costs. The case was dismissed on December 5, 2022.
Summary Authors
Ellen Aldin (12/21/2020)
Michael Vandergriff (1/13/2026)
Related Cases
James Madison Project v. U.S. Department of Justice, District of District of Columbia (2017)
N.Y. Times Co. v. United States DOJ, Southern District of New York (2018)
Judicial Watch, Inc. v. United States DOJ, District of District of Columbia (2018)
Page v. U.S. Department of Justice, District of District of Columbia (2019)
Page v. Comey, District of District of Columbia (2020)
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7613372/parties/judicial-watch-inc-v-us-department-of-justice/
Jackson, Amy Berman (District of Columbia)
Cotca, Ramona Raula (District of Columbia)
Lee, Eric W. (District of Columbia)
Clark, Jeffrey Bossert (District of Columbia)
Gerardi, Michael J. (District of Columbia)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/7613372/judicial-watch-inc-v-us-department-of-justice/
Last updated June 20, 2026, 5:48 a.m.
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Aug. 7, 2018
Closing Date: Dec. 5, 2022
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Judicial Watch, a conservative-leaning nonprofit specializing in FOIA litigation
Plaintiff Type(s):
Non-profit NON-religious organization
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal
U.S. Department of Justice
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. § 552
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:18-cv-01854
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff OR Mixed
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Case Summary of Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/17977/ (last updated 1/13/2026).