'Clears this bar easily': Trump-appointed judge allows lawsuit challenging FOIA office closure to move forward

Source: Law & Crime

Apr 1st, 2026, 2:04 pm


The Trump administration on Tuesday suffered a setback in its efforts to shutter a previously expansive office dedicated to processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

In a 31-page memorandum opinion, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, denied the government's motion to dismiss the lawsuit originally filed by Citizens for Responsibility in Washington (CREW), a nonpartisan nonprofit government watchdog group.

In April 2025, CREW sued the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as top officials at each agency, over the FOIA office closure. Next, CREW asked for injunctive relief — in the form of forcing the agencies to assign "sufficient personnel and resources" to respond to FOIA requests in a timely manner and generally keep the office operative.

In June 2025, Kelly denied the plaintiff's request for injunctive relief, Law&Crime previously reported. As the case continued, CREW and HHS agreed to stay motions on one subject of dispute, effectively whittling down the litigation in August 2025.

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/clears-this-bar-easily-trump-appointed-judge-allows-lawsuit-challenging-foia-office-closure-to-move-forward/