Case: Lawfare Institute v. United States Department of State

1:26-cv-00798 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: March 6, 2026

Case Ongoing

Clearinghouse coding in progress

Case Summary

(This summary is temporary while we research the case.)

On March 6, 2026, the Lawfare Institute sued the State Department and Secretary Rubio for failing since January 2025 to publish the text and legal authority information for covered international agreements — including deportation deals with Central American countries, Middle East defense agreements, and 2025 trade deals — as required by the amended Case-Zablocki Act. Plaintiff sought a court order compelling compliance, backdated posting of all overdue materials, and attorneys' fees, bringing claims under the APA and Paperwork Reduction Act with mandamus as an alternative.

This case is ongoing.

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72372567/parties/lawfare-institute-v-united-states-department-of-state/


Judge(s)

Boasberg, James Emanuel (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Desta, Yoseph T. (District of Columbia)

Sus, Nikhel (District of Columbia)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document
1

1:26-cv-00798

Complaint

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72372567/lawfare-institute-v-united-states-department-of-state/

Last updated March 12, 2026, 3:06 a.m.

ECF Number Description Date Link Date / Link
1

COMPLAINT against MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-12283117) filed by THE LAWFARE INSTITUTE. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons Department of State, # 3 Summons Marco Rubio, # 4 Summons U.S. Attorney General, # 5 Summons U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia)(Sus, Nikhel) (Entered: 03/06/2026)

1 Civil Cover Sheet

View on RECAP

2 Summons Department of State

View on RECAP

3 Summons Marco Rubio

View on RECAP

4 Summons U.S. Attorney General

View on RECAP

5 Summons U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia

View on RECAP

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

Clearinghouse
2

NOTICE of Appearance by Yoseph T. Desta on behalf of All Plaintiffs (Desta, Yoseph) (Entered: 03/06/2026)

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

3

SUMMONS (4) Issued Electronically as to MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zhcn) (Entered: 03/06/2026)

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

Case Assigned/Reassigned

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

Case Assigned to Judge Dabney L. Friedrich. (zhcn)

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

4

Case Assigned/Reassigned

March 9, 2026

March 9, 2026

Case Details

State / Territory:

District of Columbia

Case Type(s):

National Security

Special Collection(s):

Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government

Key Dates

Filing Date: March 6, 2026

Case Ongoing: Yes

Case Details

Other Dockets:

District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-00798

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Trial Court Docket

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