Case docket
US Right to Know v. National Institutes of Health — D.D.C., No. 24-2785 (JEB)
US Right to Know v. National Institutes of Health — 2 court filings in the archive from U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, filed between January 24, 2025 and July 21, 2025.
Case facts
| Court | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
|---|---|
| Filings | 2 public filings |
| Filed | 2025-01-24 – 2025-07-21 |
| Original PDFs | 2 of 2 |
Case summary
This page holds two joint status reports filed in a Freedom of Information Act case brought by US Right to Know against the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Case No. 24-2785 (JEB). The January 24, 2025 report records that the plaintiff filed its FOIA request on June 26, 2024 seeking communications to or from a named NIH scientist about gain-of-function human coronavirus research over a defined period, that NIH did not respond, and that the plaintiff filed its complaint on October 1, 2024. NIH's portion proposes processing 300 pages per month. The July 21, 2025 report records that NIH located approximately 3,233 pages of potentially responsive records and had made three releases.
Case at a glance
| Parties | Plaintiff: US Right to Know. Defendant: the National Institutes of Health |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Case No. 24-2785 (JEB); the page stamps read 1:24-cv-02785-JEB. The reports are Doc. 14 of January 24, 2025 and Doc. 17 of July 21, 2025 |
| Program | No pandemic relief program is named in the filings on this page. The case is a FOIA suit over records of coronavirus research |
| Claims | A Freedom of Information Act claim. The January report states the request sought communications about gain-of-function human coronavirus research and included a request for a fee waiver, and that NIH did not respond before suit |
| Disposition or status | No ruling appears in the filings on this page. As of the July 21, 2025 report the parties asked to file a further joint status report on or before October 21, 2025, with NIH processing 300 pages per month |
| Status checked | 2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read |
What is in dispute?
The processing rate. The plaintiff states it is concerned with NIH's proposed production rate. NIH responds that setting a review rate is premature until it has a page count and has conferred on the scope of the request, and that it cannot process records at the rates the plaintiff proposes without giving that request a preferential allocation of limited resources.
What has NIH produced?
The July 2025 report records releases of 309 pages on April 21, 2025, 307 pages on May 21, 2025 and 304 pages on June 20, 2025, out of approximately 3,233 pages of potentially responsive records, with monthly releases to continue.
How did the case begin?
The plaintiff filed its FOIA request on June 26, 2024, requested a determination on August 5, 2024 when NIH did not respond, filed its complaint on October 1, 2024 and served it on October 16, 2024. NIH contested that service, later obtained an unopposed enlargement of time, and filed its answer on January 8, 2025.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
2 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.