Case: Lawfare Institute v. United States Department of State

1:26-cv-00798 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: March 6, 2026

Case Ongoing

Clearinghouse coding in progress

Case Summary

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

On March 6, 2026, the Lawfare Institute sued the State Department and Secretary Rubio for failing since January 2025 to publish the text and legal authority information for covered international agreements — including deportation deals with Central American countries, Middle East defense agreements, and 2025 trade deals — as required by the amended Case-Zablocki Act. Plaintiff sought a court order compelling compliance, backdated posting of all overdue materials, and attorneys' fees, bringing claims under the APA and Paperwork Reduction Act with mandamus as an alternative.

This case is ongoing.

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72372567/parties/lawfare-institute-v-united-states-department-of-state/

Judge(s)

Boasberg, James Emanuel (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Desta, Yoseph T. (District of Columbia)

Sus, Nikhel (District of Columbia)

Judge(s)

Boasberg, James Emanuel (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Desta, Yoseph T. (District of Columbia)

Sus, Nikhel (District of Columbia)

Attorney Contact Information via CourtListener

Documents in the Clearinghouse

Documents in this case

1 1:26-cv-00798	Complaint The Lawfare Institute v. United States Department of State	March 6, 2026	March 6, 2026 Complaint

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Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72372567/lawfare-institute-v-united-states-department-of-state/

Last updated April 20, 2026, 3:12 a.m.

ECF Number	Date	Description	Link
1	March 6, 2026	COMPLAINT against MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-12283117) filed by THE LAWFARE INSTITUTE. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons Department of State, # 3 Summons Marco Rubio, # 4 Summons U.S. Attorney General, # 5 Summons U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia)(Sus, Nikhel) (Entered: 03/06/2026) 1 Civil Cover Sheet View on RECAP 2 Summons Department of State View on RECAP 3 Summons Marco Rubio View on RECAP 4 Summons U.S. Attorney General View on RECAP 5 Summons U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia View on RECAP	Clearinghouse
2	March 6, 2026	NOTICE of Appearance by Yoseph T. Desta on behalf of All Plaintiffs (Desta, Yoseph) (Entered: 03/06/2026)	RECAP
3	March 6, 2026	SUMMONS (4) Issued Electronically as to MARCO RUBIO, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zhcn) (Entered: 03/06/2026)	RECAP
	March 6, 2026	Case Assigned/Reassigned
	March 6, 2026	Case Assigned to Judge Dabney L. Friedrich. (zhcn)
4	March 9, 2026	Case randomly reassigned to Chief Judge James E. Boasberg. Judge Dabney L. Friedrich is no longer assigned to the case. (ztnr) (Entered: 03/09/2026)	RECAP
5	March 31, 2026	NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF APPEARANCE as to LAWFARE INSTITUTE. Attorney Yoseph T. Desta terminated. (Desta, Yoseph) (Entered: 03/31/2026)	RECAP
6	April 2, 2026	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 3/17/2026. ( Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 5/16/2026.), RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 3/24/2026., RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. MARCO RUBIO served on 3/24/2026; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE served on 3/24/2026 (Sus, Nikhel) (Entered: 04/02/2026)	RECAP
7	April 17, 2026	Notice of Appearance	RECAP
8	April 17, 2026	Extension of Time to	RECAP

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Case Details

State / Territory:

District of Columbia

Case Type(s):

National Security

Special Collection(s):

Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government

Key Dates

Filing Date: March 6, 2026

Case Ongoing: Yes

Case Details

Other Dockets:

District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-00798

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Trial Court Docket

Recommended Citation

Case Summary of Lawfare Institute v. United States Department of State, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, http://www.dev.clearinghouse.net/case/47874/.