Judicial FOIA Expansion Act

Sponsor: Daniel S. Goldman (Democratic-NY)July 20, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Lets Americans request more federal court records, making the judiciary more open.

This bill would let everyday Americans request many records from federal courts, similar to other government agencies. It would make information about court personnel, disciplinary actions, and court operations available to the public, aiming to increase transparency in the judicial branch.

What Would Change

Today, federal courts are generally not covered by the Freedom of Information Act or the Privacy Act, meaning the public cannot easily request records from them. If this bill passes, most federal courts would become subject to these laws, allowing the public to request specific administrative and personnel records. Any information released would also need to be in a machine-readable format.

Key Provisions

Lets the public request many administrative and personnel records from most federal courts.
Requires federal courts to provide specific records, like attorney disciplinary actions and complaints against judges or court staff.
Makes public meeting calendars and minutes of the Federal Judicial Conference, plus research from the Federal Judicial Center.
Requires federal courts to release certain records, such as judge performance reports and technical plans for the PACER system.
Blocks public access to information about ongoing court cases and records not actually held by the courts.
Requires any court information released under these new rules to be in a machine-readable format.

View on Congress.gov

HR 9778 · 119th Congress · July 20, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

Judicial FOIA Expansion Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity