Court Cases
Brennan Center v. U.S. Department of State
Case Overview
On October 2, 2017, Muslim Advocates, along with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU. The lawsuit seeks to compel the Trump Administration to release critically important details about a worldwide review it ostensibly conducted in order to arrive at the new list of countries included in President Donald Trump’s third Muslim Ban.
The second Muslim Ban included a section mandating that federal agencies conduct a worldwide review of visa issuance and other processes. The Trump administration claims that the results of that review determined which countries were included on the final list of countries banned indefinitely in President Trump’s September 24 Proclamation. The process and results of that review have been completely hidden from public view.
In July 2017, Muslim Advocates and partner organizations filed a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request on various “extreme vetting” measures enacted by the administration, including information regarding the worldwide review process. The administration has yet to comply with any part of that request, even though the statutory deadline for a response has long since passed. On October 2, 2017, Muslim Advocates and its partners filed a lawsuit to compel the federal government to produce the requested documents.
CASE DETAILS
Date filed: August, 21, 2017
Court(s): United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Co-Counsel: Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Covington & Burling LLP
The Latest
Advocates Urge Trump Administration to Provide Information Regarding Extreme Vetting Processes & Possible Muslim Ban Expansion
Court Orders Government Response for Information Used to Justify Muslim Ban 3.0 by February 9
Muslim Advocates’ Statement on FOIA Request on “Extreme Vetting” and Possible Muslim Ban Expansion
New York Times Op Ed: “How Trump Is Stealthily Carrying Out His Muslim Ban”
Advocates File First Major Litigation Against Muslim Ban 3.0
Related Documents
Court Filing
Order on Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment
March 29, 2019
Court Filing
Plaintiff’s Cross-Motion for Partial Summary Judgment
August 2, 2018
Court Filing
Plaintiff’s Reply Brief in Support of Cross-Motion for Partial Summary Judgment
August 2, 2018
Court Filing
Plaintiff’s Brief in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment and in Support of Plaintiff’s Cross-Motion for Partial Summary Judgment
August 2, 2018
Court Filing
Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel Production of Vaughn Index
March 15, 2018
Court Filing
Opinion and Order on Motion to Expedite
January 10, 2018
Court Filing
Plaintiff’s Motion to Expedite
December 21, 2017
Court Filing
Plaintiff’s Reply Brief in Support of Motion to Expedite
December 21, 2017
Court Filing
Complaint
October 2, 2017