Lawsuit against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for refusing to release public records related to its attacks on civil service and equity programs. 

Along with Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), the Trump-Vance administration has launched sweeping efforts to dismantle federal equity programs, fire career civil servants, and impose a partisan loyalty test across government agencies. As part of this push,OPM sent guidance to agencies on enforcing Trump’s executive order to eliminate all federal diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs.

Despite legal obligations under FOIA, OPM has refused to release records detailing these efforts. On January 24th, we submitted a request for information on:

  • Plans to close DEIA offices, conduct mass firings, and cancel DEIA-related contracts and training.
  • Correspondence received by the administration’s “DEIA Truth” tipline and from government agencies.
  • Directives from the White House and DOGE to OPM.
  • Calendar records and communications of OPM Chief of Staff Amanda Scales, a former Musk executive.

Although OPM confirmed receipt of the request, it abruptly stopped responding and failed to meet the legal deadline for producing the records.

We have now taken legal action, filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to compel the Trump administration to release these public records. The lawsuit is the first of its kind filed by Democracy Forward as part of a broader effort to expose the administration’s secretive and chaotic policymaking.

Lawsuit against the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

We filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for refusing to release public records regarding Memorandum M-25-13, which directed agencies to pause or freeze nearly all federal financial assistance.

The administration has failed to release documents responsive to these requests, violating federal law and stonewalling the American people.

Democracy Forward’s lawsuit seeks records that would shed light on:

  • OMB’s internal impact and legal analyses of the financial assistance freeze before it was announced.
  • Key communications of OMB political appointees, including interactions with external actors and political figures outside the federal government.
  • Directives or guidance from the White House, the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), and other administration officials regarding the implementation of the funding freeze.
  • Records identifying individuals involved in shaping and executing these policies, including political appointees and transition team members.

This is the second FOIA lawsuit that Democracy Forward has filed since the Trump-Vance administration took office.

Lawsuit against the Departments of Treasury, Education, And Small Business Administration

We filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT), the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) for failing to comply with FOIA requests and withholding critical records about the influence of Elon Musk’s DOGE on federal decision making.

Democracy Forward submitted multiple FOIA requests seeking communications, directives, and policy documents related to DOGE’s activities within these agencies. Despite acknowledging receipt of the requests, the agencies failed to provide the legally required records.

This lawsuit aims to uncover DOGE’s role in key federal policy decisions, including:

  • Federal financial systems: Changes in or manipulation of government payment and disbursement systems.
  • Education policy: Access to student loan data, grant and contract cancellations, and potential shifts in agency oversight.
  • Small Business Administration: Influence on personnel decisions, funding structures, and regulatory policies.

Lawsuit against the Department of Justice over Ed Martin’s records

We filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for failing to respond to multiple FOIA requests seeking transparency around Acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin’s conduct and communications.

Democracy Forward submitted several FOIA requests to DOJ requesting records related to Ed Martin’s:

  • Use of personal accounts (including X messages and text messages) to conduct official business;
  • Email communications regarding his role as Acting U.S. Attorney;
  • Calendar entries and visitor logs documenting meetings and interactions during his tenure.

Despite acknowledging receipt of the requests, DOJ has failed to provide the legally required records or respond within the required timeframe.

This lawsuit seeks to uncover the extent of Ed Martin’s actions while serving in the powerful role of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, especially amid:

  • His public support for January 6 defendants;
  • Reports of retaliatory actions against career prosecutors;
  • His self-description as “Trump’s lawyer”;
  • Reports of investigations targeting members of Congress.

We are asking the court to compel DOJ to conduct proper records searches, release non-exempt documents, and uphold the public’s right to know.

Lawsuit against the Department of Justice, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security

We filed suit against the Department of Justice, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security to compel the production of documents related to a Trump-Vance administration agreement with El Salvador that has allowed hundreds of people to be disappeared from the United States to be held in jails and prisons in El Salvador.

In early February 2025, the administration announced that, following a trip to El Salvador by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the United States would enter an agreement with El Salvador to send people detained in the United States — including potentially even United States citizens — to El Salvador jails and prisons. On March 15, 2025, the administration sent more than 200 people to El Salvador, many of them under an assertion that they were subject to the Alien Enemies Act, where they have been held in government custody, including in El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center.

Democracy Forward has submitted a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the three agencies after the agreement was announced, seeking:

  • Draft copies of the agreement,
  • Any legal analysis of the proposal, and
  • Communications surrounding the agreement.

Though all three agencies confirmed receipt of the requests, none of the three has produced the requested information in the legally required time.

Case Files