So on Monday I got a response to my letter to the Clerk of the Court. It noted that the Judge (likely upon seeing my letter to the Clerk) ordered the government to file their motion for summary Judgement on January 8, 2025…
Of Course on Tuesday I receive a NOTICE OF MOTION from the government requesting an extension to February 27, 2026. I, of course, filed a MOTION IN OPPOSITION. I also noticed for the first time (legally – I always saw it was written, but didn’t fully comprehend its significance until now) that the AUSA invokes 28 U.S.C §1746 for his DECLARATION(s). I did some research and determine that his paragraphs #5 & 6 are knowingly incorrect.
I know these “declarations” are “knowingly” incorrect; because, #5 states “By Letter dated December 22, 2022, the FBI determined that we were unable to identify records subject to the [FOIA] that are responsive to your request.” Then in #6 he asserts that the FBI’s letter ends the dispute over the requested NIT Reports. His assertion is knowingly incorrect because; A) a simple “letter” isn’t a sworn affidavit and thus is not sufficient to prove that an adequate search was performed and B) I have a NIT Report (Mine), so I can prove that at least one exists and was printed from a DOJ S: drive.
ChatGPT explains this S: drive succinctly:
1. It is an agency record system
Documents stored there are almost certainly “agency records” under FOIA.
2. It can trigger search obligations
If emails indicate responsive records were stored on the S: drive, a reasonable FOIA search may need to include:
+ The relevant S: drive directories
+ Not just email or individual H: drives
3. It can undercut “no records” or limited-search claims
Especially if:
+ Custodians refer to the S: drive as the primary storage location
+ Records were moved there from email
+ Multiple custodians had access
4. It may preserve older or “orphaned” files
S: drives often retain documents long after individual users leave or clean up their inboxes.
Since all the above applies, I filed a motion to challenge the AUSA’s assertion today. I’ll let you know what the Court says when I know.