Judge Backs Expedited Production of Trump Travel Ban FOIA

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Gardephe said the government's had six months to produce the material and offered no compelling reason why the documents shouldn't be produced quickly.

By Colby Hamilton, NY Law J., Jan 10, 2018

The U.S. State Department was ordered to expeditiously comply with a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the Brennan Center for Justice for documents related to the Trump administration’s first two travel bans issued last year.

In his order issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe of the Southern District of New York granted plaintiffs motion to expedite the production of documents requested from the government six months ago. State officials at some point had approved a Brennan Center request for expedited processing.

“It has now been nearly six months since Plaintiff’s FOIA request was submitted, and nothing has been produced. Nor is there any schedule for production,” Gardephe said. “Accordingly, the presumption of agency delay applies.”

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