Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_16-cv-02041/USCOURTS-cand-4_16-cv-02041-5/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 895
Nature of Suit: Freedom of Information Act of 1974
Cause of Action: 05:552 Freedom of Information Act

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16-CV-02041-HSG STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER 

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MARK RUMOLD (SBN 279060)

mark@eff.org

NATHAN D. CARDOZO (SBN 259097)

nate@eff.org

AARON MACKEY (SBN 286647)

amackey@eff.org

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

815 Eddy Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

Telephone: (415) 436-9333

Facsimile: (415) 436-9993

Attorneys for Plaintiff 

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION,

Plaintiff,

v.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT 

OF JUSTICE, 

Defendant.

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Case No. 16-cv-02041-HSG

STIPULATION AND ORDER 

Case 4:16-cv-02041-HSG Document 40 Filed 12/02/16 Page 1 of 5
16-cv-02041-HSG STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER

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The parties the Electronic Frontier Foundation (“EFF”) and the Department of Justice 

(“DOJ”), by and through undersigned counsel, stipulate and respectfully request the Court enter an 

order reflecting the following:

1. The parties have reached an agreement concerning the processing of EFF’s March 7, 

2016 Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request for “significant” opinions of the Foreign 

Intelligence Surveillance Court (“FISC”). EFF has agreed to narrow the scope of its initial request,

and DOJ has agreed to process and respond to the narrowed request. 

2. Specifically, EFF has agreed to narrow the scope of part one of its initial request from 

any decision, order, or opinion issued by the FISC or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of 

Review ("FISC-R") issued from 1978 to June 1, 2015, that includes a significant construction or 

interpretation of any provision of law, including any novel or significant construction or 

interpretation of the term “specific selection term,” to all decisions, orders, or opinions of the FISC 

or the FISC-R submitted to Congress by the Attorney General pursuant to Section 6002 of the 

Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (50 U.S.C. section 1871(a)(5)); 50 

U.S.C. sections 1871(c)(1) & (2); and 50 U.S.C. section 1881f(b)(1)(D) between July 1, 2003 and 

June 1, 2015, which have not been previously declassified and made public (to include those 

decisions, orders, or opinions previously identified by the Department of Justice to the Brennan 

Center,https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/The_New_Era_of_Secret_Law

.pdf), that remain classified. DOJ has agreed to process and respond to the narrowed request.

3. The parties are currently in the midst of briefing cross-motions for partial summary 

judgment. See ECF Nos. 29, 32. One issue in dispute was the propriety of EFF’s March 7 FOIA 

request and DOJ’s determination that it would not process the request. The parties’ agreement on the 

narrowed request effectively resolves that dispute. 

4. Two deadlines related to the parties’ cross-motions currently remain on the Court’s 

upcoming calendar. EFF’s reply brief in support of its motion for partial summary judgment is 

currently due December 1, 2016. The hearing on the parties’ cross-motions is currently scheduled for 

Case 4:16-cv-02041-HSG Document 40 Filed 12/02/16 Page 2 of 5
16-cv-02041-HSG STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER

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December 15, 2016.

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5. In light of the agreement concerning the narrowed request, the parties accordingly 

agree that further briefing in this matter should be stayed, and the current hearing date on the parties’ 

cross-motions vacated, to allow DOJ time to begin to process the narrowed request and for the 

parties to continue to discuss the progress and timing of the litigation. 

6. Despite agreement on the narrowed request, the parties still anticipate that further 

motions practice will likely be necessary on some issues in order to resolve the case. The parties do 

not know which issues those are at this stage, however. In the meantime, the parties agree to 

continue to work in good faith to resolve outstanding issues in the litigation, including issues related 

to the timing, production, and processing of responsive records, and the scope and timing of future 

motions practice. 

7. The parties further propose to file a joint status report on December 15, 2016, and 

another joint status report on January 30, 2017, to apprise the Court of the progress of the parties’ 

discussions; the processing of responsive FISC opinions; and the parties’ need, if any, to set future 

briefing schedules, hearing dates, or to request other assistance from the Court. 

DATED: December 1, 2016

/s/ Mark Rumold

Mark Rumold

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

815 Eddy Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

Telephone: (415) 436-9333

Facsimile: (415) 436-9993

Attorney for Plaintiff

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

 1 Additionally, the parties’ anticipated filing a Joint Status Report on December 7, 2016, 

concerning a separate FOIA request at issue in the case that was not subject to the parties’ crossmotions for partial summary judgment. See Joint Status Report, ¶ 5 (ECF No. 34). The parties 

believe they have already reached substantial agreement on that request and report that additional 

briefing related to that request will be unnecessary. 

Case 4:16-cv-02041-HSG Document 40 Filed 12/02/16 Page 3 of 5
16-cv-02041-HSG STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER

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DECLARATION PURSUANT TO LOCAL RULE 5-1(I)(3)

Pursuant to Civil L.R. 5-1(i)(3), I, Mark Rumold, declare that I obtained the concurrence of 

Rodney Patton, counsel for Defendant, United States Department of Justice, in the filing of this 

document.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States that the foregoing is 

true and correct. Executed this 1st day of December, 2016 in San Francisco, CA.

/s/ Mark Rumold

Mark Rumold

* * *

DATED: December 1, 2016 BENJAMIN C. MIZER

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General

BRIAN STRETCH

United States Attorney

ELIZABETH J. SHAPIRO

Deputy Branch Director

 /s/Rodney Patton __ RODNEY PATTON

Senior Counsel

JULIA A. BERMAN Bar No. 241415

Trial Attorney

United States Department of Justice

Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch

20 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001

Telephone: (202) 616-8480

Facsimile: (202) 616-8470

Attorneys for Defendant

Case 4:16-cv-02041-HSG Document 40 Filed 12/02/16 Page 4 of 5
16-cv-02041-HSG STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER

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Upon consideration of the parties’ stipulation, it is:

ORDERED that further briefing on the parties’ cross-motions for partial summary judgment, 

including the filing of Plaintiff’s Reply, is STAYED; and it is 

ORDERED that the hearing on the parties’ cross-motions for partial summary judgment on 

December 15, 2016 is VACATED; and it is 

ORDERED that the parties submit a joint status report on December 15, 2016, and another 

joint status report on January 30, 2017, describing the progress of the parties’ discussions; the 

processing of responsive FISC opinions; and the parties’ need, if any, to set future briefing 

schedules, hearing dates, or to request other assistance from the Court.

DATED: December 2, 2016 _______________________________________

HON. HAYWOOD S. GILLIAM, JR.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 4:16-cv-02041-HSG Document 40 Filed 12/02/16 Page 5 of 5