Case: Protect Democracy Project v. Internal Revenue Service

1:26-cv-01486 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: April 29, 2026

Case Ongoing

Clearinghouse coding in progress

Case Summary

(This summary is temporary while we research the case.) The Protect Democracy Project ("Protect Democracy"), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, filed suit on April 29, 2026, against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit arose from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that Protect Democracy submitted to the IRS on December 19, 2025, seeking directives, memoranda, guidance, and poli…

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

The Protect Democracy Project ("Protect Democracy"), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, filed suit on April 29, 2026, against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit arose from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that Protect Democracy submitted to the IRS on December 19, 2025, seeking directives, memoranda, guidance, and policies related to the IRS's implementation of President Trump's Executive Order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 concerning domestic terrorism. The IRS responded on January 12, 2026, claiming that a search was conducted and no responsive records were located. Protect Democracy appealed on March 12, 2026, arguing the search was inadequate, but as of the filing date had received no final determination despite the IRS's representation that it would complete its appeal review by April 28, 2026. The complaint asserts two counts under FOIA: failure to conduct an adequate search and wrongful withholding of non-exempt records. Protect Democracy seeks a court order compelling the IRS to conduct a proper search, produce all non-exempt responsive records along with a *Vaughn* index, and award attorneys' fees and litigation costs.

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People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73262025/parties/protect-democracy-project-v-internal-revenue-service/

Attorney for Plaintiff

Lewis, Emma (District of Columbia)

Martinez, Daniel Havlir (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Lewis, Emma (District of Columbia)

Martinez, Daniel Havlir (District of Columbia)

Attorney Contact Information via CourtListener

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

	Document
1 1:26-cv-01486	Complaint	April 29, 2026	April 29, 2026

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Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73262025/protect-democracy-project-v-internal-revenue-service/

Last updated May 13, 2026, 6:02 p.m.

ECF Number	Description	Date	Link Date / Link
1	COMPLAINT against INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-12389534) filed by PROTECT DEMOCRACY PROJECT. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1, # 2 Exhibit 2, # 3 Exhibit 3, # 4 Exhibit 4, # 5 Civil Cover Sheet, # 6 Summons USAO, # 7 Summons AG, # 8 Summons IRS, # 9 Summons Treasury)(Lewis, Emma) (Entered: 04/29/2026) 1 Exhibit 1 View on PACER 2 Exhibit 2 View on PACER 3 Exhibit 3 View on PACER 4 Exhibit 4 View on PACER 5 Civil Cover Sheet View on PACER 6 Summons USAO View on PACER 7 Summons AG View on PACER 8 Summons IRS View on PACER 9 Summons Treasury View on PACER	April 29, 2026	April 29, 2026 Clearinghouse
2	LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by PROTECT DEMOCRACY PROJECT (Lewis, Emma) (Entered: 04/29/2026)	April 29, 2026	April 29, 2026
3	SUMMONS (4) Issued Electronically as to INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zmtm) (Entered: 04/29/2026)	April 29, 2026	April 29, 2026
	Case Assigned/Reassigned	April 29, 2026	April 29, 2026
	Case Assigned to Judge Ana C. Reyes. (zmtm)	April 29, 2026	April 29, 2026
4	NOTICE of Appearance by Daniel Havlir Martinez on behalf of PROTECT DEMOCRACY PROJECT (Martinez, Daniel) (Entered: 05/05/2026)	May 5, 2026	May 5, 2026
5	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE served on 5/4/2026; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY served on 5/5/2026 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration)(Martinez, Daniel) (Entered: 05/05/2026)	May 5, 2026	May 5, 2026
	Summons Returned Executed as to U.S. Attorney General AND Summons Returned Executed in FOIA case as to U.S. Attorney	May 6, 2026	May 6, 2026

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Case Details

State / Territory:

District of Columbia

Case Type(s):

Public Benefits/Government Services

Special Collection(s):

Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government

FOIA

Key Dates

Filing Date: April 29, 2026

Case Ongoing: Yes

Case Details

Other Dockets:

District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01486

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Trial Court Docket

Recommended Citation

Case Summary of Protect Democracy Project v. Internal Revenue Service, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48184/.