The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over its alleged failure to respond to reporters’ Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Almost 13,000 FOIA cases have piled up after multiple firings of FOIA staff at the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and National Institutes of Health, the suit charges.
The plaintiffs demand that three FOIA requests
— by reporters Julia Metraux, Madison Pauly and Julia Lurie — be answered and the requested information provided.
“HHS’s recent policies and practices have led to
constant FOIA violations, including but not limited to larger-than-ever backlogs, skyrocketing agency litigation costs, and ultimately a systemic culture of non-compliance with FOIA deadlines standing
in the way of the vital pursuits of CIR and organizations like CIR,” the complaint continues.
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The complaint notes that “At CIR and other outlets, reporting based on HHS
disclosures has often spurred legislative changes that increase the protections for Americans’ health and help save lives.”
CIR also asks the court to order HHS to
“immediately disclose, in their entirety, all public records responsive to CIR’s First, Second, and Third Requests.” And it seeks a declaration that HHS “engaged in a policy or
practice of violating FOIA by “persistent and prolonged delays in responding to FOIA requests and failing to notify requesters of any determinations within the time required by law.”
And the plaintiffs want the court to enjoin HHS from “maintaining its policy or practice of failing to respond to and comply with FOIA requests as required by law.”
It also asks
for costs.
The Center for Investigative Reporting merged with Mother Jones and the Reveal Radio Show in 2024.