Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
Nathaniel J. Buckley v. Department of Justice
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 24-3192 · judgment October 14, 2025
Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
The Freedom of Information Act requires federal agencies to make information available to the public upon request unless the information falls within one of nine exemptions. Exemption 7 covers certain “records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes.” 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(7). The question presented is: Whether “records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes” encompasses all records or information compiled by a law enforcement agency, even those not compiled for law enforcement purposes.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Michael Kuzma
Michael Kuzma
For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General
Case
Subject area
Privacy (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Amicus briefs
1 cert-stage
Linked docket
25A743
Order
Order list, June 29, 2026 · Certiorari denied
Proceedings
- Jun 29 2026Petition DENIED.
- Jun 09 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/25/2026.
- Jun 09 2026Reply of petitioner Nathaniel J. Buckley filed. (Distributed)
- May 20 2026Brief of respondent Department of Justice in opposition filed.
- Apr 27 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including May 20, 2026.
- Apr 24 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from May 4, 2026 to May 20, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Apr 02 2026Brief amicus curiae of Cato Institute filed.
- Mar 30 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including May 4, 2026.
- Mar 27 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from April 2, 2026 to May 4, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Feb 26 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 2, 2026)
- Feb 04 2026Application (25A743) granted by Justice Sotomayor extending the time to file until February 26, 2026.
- Jan 30 2026Application (25A743) to extend further the time from February 11, 2026 to February 26, 2026, submitted to Justice Sotomayor.
- Dec 31 2025Application (25A743) granted by Justice Sotomayor extending the time to file until February 11, 2026.
- Dec 19 2025Application (25A743) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from January 12, 2026 to February 11, 2026, submitted to Justice Sotomayor.