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Ayyakkannu Manivannan v. Department of Energy, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, No. 24-2337 · judgment June 24, 2025


Certiorari denied · January 26, 2026
Pre-decision estimate: 0% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Questions presented

  1. Did 3rd Circuit Court err by blatantly accepting District Court’s erroneous interpretation on a County Prothonotary-signed court order, not signed by a Judge, violating 5 U.S.C. §552a(b)(H) and causing a Circuit split?

  2. Did 3rd Circuit and District Courts err in their opinion and judgement that it is “inapposite” to D.C. Circuit’s previous ruling on issues of material fact remaining with respect to Privacy Act violation claims in Bartel case, causing a Circuit split?

  3. Did 3rd Circuit/District Courts err by implicitly accepting “COMITY’ as a mechanism permitting agency DOE to release Privacy documents for a criminal case circumventing the exceptions under 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b) (3), (7), (11), ignoring Kalkines warnings causing a Circuit split?

  4. Did the 3rd Circuit/District Courts err on Privacy Act routine use under subsection 5 U.S.C. §552(e)(3)(C) for Manivannan case from previous rulings by 9th (Covert), 3rd (Britt) and D.C. (USPS) Circuits, causing a divided opinion?

  5. Did the 3rd Circuit/District Courts err in not considering that the agency DOE conduct is willful in providing privacy documents for a criminal proceeding, violating Privacy Act exceptions, routine use and Kalkines!

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Ayyakkannu Manivannan

For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Linked docket
25A279

Proceedings

  1. Jan 26 2026
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Jan 07 2026
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/23/2026.
  3. Dec 30 2025
    Waiver of right of respondent Department of Energy, et al. to respond filed.
  4. Nov 21 2025
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 5, 2026)
  5. Sep 11 2025
    Application (25A279) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until November 21, 2025.
  6. Sep 02 2025
    Application (25A279) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from September 22, 2025 to November 21, 2025, submitted to Justice Alito.