Judge blocks Energy Department from forcing FOIA requesters to reconfirm old requests

FOIA does not authorize agencies to impose a blanket affirmative-reassertion requirement that shifts the burden onto requesters.

On August 5, 2026, Judge Amy Berman Jackson vacated the Department of Energy blanket still-interested notice for pre-October 2024 FOIA requests.

Why it matters: Anyone with a pending or future FOIA request for energy policy environment or agency records faces the same procedural question of who carries the burden to keep a request alive.

Date to watch: Agency compliance filings or any notice of appeal within the next 30 days after the August 5 order.

Sources:

• Memorandum Opinion and Order American Oversight v. U.S. Department of Energy (2026-08-05)
  https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.284428/gov.uscourts.dcd.284428.22.0.pdf
• Notice of the Department of Energy Freedom of Information Act FOIA Still Interested Inquiry (2025-08-14)
  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/14/2025-15490/notice-of-the-department-of-energy-freedom-of-information-act-foia-still-interested-inquiry
• DOJ Office of Information Policy Limitations on Use of Still-Interested Inquiries (2015-07-01)
  https://www.justice.gov/oip/limitations-use-still-interested-inquiries
• GAO Report Freedom of Information Act Additional Guidance Could Help Agencies Address Backlogs (2024-03-14)
  https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-106535.pdf
• American Oversight Complaint and Case Statement (2025-09-03)
  https://americanoversight.org/american-oversight-sues-trump-administration-over-unlawful-effort-to-shut-down-foia-requests/
• Federal News Network coverage of the August 5 ruling (2026-08-05)
  https://federalnewsnetwork.com/litigation/2026/08/judge-throws-out-does-blanket-still-interested-foia-policy/

The Throughline decodes today's headline — with receipts. Every claim is sourced; links below.
Subscribe and stand the watch. — Last Bastion