Dear Ms. Wood:

This letter constitutes a request under the Freedom of Information Act regarding litigation activity in DOJ’s Civil Division. It is being submitted on behalf of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for greater openness and accountability in the federal judiciary.

The request seeks an accounting of the amount of time DOJ attorneys have spent working on the following three cases in which the DOJ is or was representing individuals or agencies that are a part of the U.S. judiciary between Apr. 21, 2016, and Nov. 18, 2022:
— NVLSP, et al., v. U.S. (1:16-cv-00745 in D.D.C.; 19-1081 and 19-1083 in the D.C. Circuit)
— Guffey, et al., v. Mauskopf (1:18-cv-01271 in D.D.C.; 20-5183 and 20-5208 in the D.C. Circuit; case was previously Guffey, et al., v. Duff)
— Strickland v. U.S., et al. (1:20-cv-00066 in W.D.N.C.; 21-1346 and 22-01963 in the Fourth Circuit; case was previously Roe v. U.S., et al.)

For simplicity’s sake, I seek a spreadsheet that comprises an attorney’s redacted name, their title and the number of hours they worked on each or all of the above cases.

As Fix the Court is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and in light of the regular publication and dissemination activities in which it engages, I request that any fees that may be associated with this request be waived. This request is not for commercial purposes, and the release of the information requested is not in Fix the Court’s financial interest, given that our mission is to promote transparency in the federal judiciary.

If this request is denied in whole or in part, I ask that you justify all withholdings and deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the law.

Sincerely,
Gabe Roth
Fix the Court executive director