Judicial FOIA Expansion Act

Daniel S. Goldman

Democrat · NY · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-3)Original· 2026-07-20
• Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)Original· 2026-07-20
• Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA-4)Original· 2026-07-20
• Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37)Original· 2026-07-20

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

2026-07-20

Source: Congress.gov

The proposal would require federal courts to make certain records and documents publicly available online or through other accessible means, similar to how many state courts already operate. This would allow citizens, journalists, and researchers to more easily find information about federal court cases without having to visit courthouses in person or file special requests. The change would affect federal courts across the country and could increase transparency about how the judicial system operates.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9778 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9778 To amend title 5, United States Code, to create a right of public access to certain records relating to the courts of the United States, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 20, 2026 Mr. Goldman of New York (for himself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Norton, and Mrs. Ramirez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 5, United States Code, to create a right of public access to certain records relating to the courts of the United States, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Judicial FOIA Expansion Act''. SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND THE PRIVACY ACT TO THE JUDICIARY. (a) Amendments.--Title 5, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in section 551-- (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting after ``the courts of the United States'' the following: ``, except for purposes of sections 552 and 552a''; (B) in paragraph (13), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon; (C) in paragraph (14), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (D) by adding at the end the following: ``(15) `court of the United States'-- ``(A) means-- ``(i) a court or other entity in the judicial branch, including the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of International Trade, the United States courts of appeals, the United States district courts, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, the United States Sentencing Commission, and Federal defender organizations; and ``(ii) an entity that provides security or protective services for a Federal courthouse, or for an officer or employee of the judicial branch; and ``(B) does not include the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.''; and (2) by inserting after section 552b the following: ``Sec. 552c. Applicability to the courts of the United States ``(a) Applicability of Section 552.-- ``(1) In general.--In addition to the requirements under section 552, the following types of information are subject to a record request with respect to the courts of the United States: ``(A) Any record of attorney disciplinary proceeding or sanction, excluding any case record relating to the deliberation of the disciplinary hearing in accordance with paragraph (2)(A). ``(B) Any complaint, investigation, and order against a judge or other court personnel. ``(C) Meeting calendars and minutes of the Federal Judicial Conference and the membership list for each committee. ``(D) Research and educational material produced by the Federal Judicial Center. ``(E) Any completed jury selection form. ``(F) Any performance report for a judge or personnel. ``(G) Any technical audit or update plan for PACER. ``(H) Any annual report to Congress, including each committee and subcommittee of Congress. ``(2) Exemptions.--In addition to the matters described under section 552(b), section 552 does not apply to the following with respect to the courts of the United States: ``(A) Any matter relating to an ongoing case. ``(B) Any information not in the possession of the courts of the United States. ``(3) Machine-readability.--Any information published or provided under section 552 or 552a by a court of the United States shall be machine-readable (as such term is defined in section 3502 of title 44). ``(b) Representation.--The Attorney…

General shall represent a court of the United States in any claim brought under section 552 or section 552a.''. (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section, or any amendment made by this section, may be construed as displacing the common law right of public access to judicial records. (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to meet the requirements of this Act, including the creation of an office to meet such requirements within the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. (d) Severability.--If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof, is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this Act and the application of such provision to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby. <all>

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