Court Allows DOJ To Keep Hunting QueerDoc Patient Medical Records
How an administrative subpoena under 18 U.S.C. 3486 works, the presumption of regularity, the heavy burden to prove improper purpose, and what a remand on overbreadth actually leaves open.
How an administrative subpoena under 18 U.S.C. 3486 works, the presumption of regularity, the heavy burden to prove improper purpose, and what a remand on overbreadth actually leaves open.
On August 14 a divided Ninth Circuit panel reversed a district court order that had quashed a DOJ administrative subpoena to QueerDoc under HIPAA.
Why it matters: Patient medical records including those of minors remain subject to federal process while state law on the underlying care remains split.
Date to watch: District court proceedings on overbreadth and undue burden before Judge Jamal N. Whitehead in the Western District of Washington.
Sources:
- Ninth Circuit slip opinion QueerDoc PLLC v. DOJ No. 25-7384 (2026-08-14)
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/08/14/25-7384.pdf - 18 U.S.C. § 3486 administrative subpoena statute (2026-08-14)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3486 - Ninth Circuit docket QueerDoc PLLC v. DOJ 25-7384 (2026-08-14)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72223531/queerdoc-pllc-v-doj-united-states-department-of-justice/ - Western District of Washington docket 2:25-mc-00042 (2026-08-14)
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71783827/queerdoc-pllc-v-united-states-department-of-justice/ - Reuters coverage of August 14 ruling (2026-08-14)
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-appeals-court-revives-justice-department-subpoena-gender-affirming-care-2026-08-14/ - ACLU of Washington statement on the opinion (2026-08-14)
https://www.aclu-wa.org/press-releases/appeals-court-issues-opinion-in-queerdoc-v-doj/ - Ninth Circuit oral argument recording March 6 2026 (2026-03-06)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKNJJgA1r70
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