Paracha v. Bush ( 2019 )

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
UNITED ST/\ TES DISTRlCT COURT
FOR TJ lE DlSTRJCT OF COLUMBIA
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SAIFULLAH PARACHA . )
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Petitioner. )
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V. ) Ci"il Ac tion No. 04-2022 (PLf)
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DONALD J. TRUMP.~ al.. )
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Respondents. )
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MEMORANDUM OPINiON AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court on respondents· October 21. 2019 mot ion to
exclude 1wo documents fro m the disco,·ery obligations imposed by the Amended Case
Msnogernent Order in this matl::r. ~c;!::', JJh No. 219: the Cour ·s May 30. 20 l 9 Memorandum
Opinion and Scheduling Order.`` Dkt No. 51.5: and the Cour! ·s June l2. 20 19 Discovery
Order. ill Dkt. No. 517. f{espondcnrs · classifi ed motion is ex pane. iv. ~amera. and under seal;
it is n:: tl ec.:tcd in a nn! ice of fi ling on the public docket. See Dkt. No. 54 7. For the reasons
described below. respondents' moti on is granted.
Section l.D of the Case Management Order. as amended. imposes on respondents
an ongoing obligation to disclose to petitioner all reasonably available e:xc ulpatory informa1ion:
Section I.E. imposes obligations lo disclose certain other documents when requested by
petitioner. ~ee Case Management Order. Dkt. No. 204. at 2-3: Amended Case Management
Order. Dkt. No. 219. at 2· ,: Order. Dkl. :--Jo. 308, at 3 4 (revising certain prnvisiom in the Case
Management Order). llndc:r the Amended Case Managtment Order, respondents must provide
1h-:se disclosures to pe titioner's appropriate ly cleared counsel even if the information is
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classiticd. There is one excepti on. set fo rth in Section !.F: "lf the gol.'ernment objects 10
providing 1he petilio ner· s counsel wi1h the classified information, lhe government shall move for
an exception to discl osure:· See Dkt No. 2 I9 at .l. The Court has granted respo ndents' two
pre vio us~ filtH~ Secti on l. P mmions. $~'<;! DkL Nos. 524. 545 .
fn the present Section 1.F u10 1im\ . re spondents seek addit ional except ions from
disclosure with rc:s pccl to tv. .·o classitieid. at
545: and (3) that .. a[1ernatives to disc lo~ure would not effectively Sllbstimtl;! for unredacied
access:· i_Q. a1 547 . The: materi alit y n:qu ire1ne n1 i'.-l met only for '"infonm11ion that is exculpatory.
that undermines the re liability of other purporri.::dly ineulpatnry evidence. Ot' that names potenti al
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witnesses capable of providing material evidence:· lg. at 546. In a previous Memorandum
Opinion u 11 {he Case Management Order !lmt applies to this matter. Judge Hogau ru led tbat ..,he
Al.Pd@ framework ... is applicabl634 F. Supp. 2d 17. 24 (D.D.C.
2009).
The Court has reviewed the complt:tc and t.m-redacted versions of both o f the
documc nh al issue in the present rnotiou. respondcnls' arguments and supponing declarations.
and the classified substitute tha1the resrondcnts have alread y prod uc..!d. The Coun finds that
none of the d iJssiti cd infonnation frn m the documents that has been omi tted from the suhstitutt'
provided to Mr. Pamella is mate rial or necessary for meaningful habeas review. and that
disclos ing th e in form atio n cou!d imperil rhc nat ional securi ty of the United Stmes. The; Court
fu rther linds that the d assifo:~d substitute that responJen~ have produced lo Mr. Paracha does
provide a sufficient al ternative fo r anof the relevan t and maiedal information in the two
documents at issue in this motion. Uncicr the .1 .1 OdaJ:i standard. the government may not be
compelled to produce the underl ying documents themselves. Se~ Motion ac 4. 8 (ident ifying the
c.:lassifo:d docL1111enls with specificity). Accordingly. it is hcre b)·
ORDERED that responden ts' October 21. 20 19 `` parte mot ion. §f~ 0kt. No.
5.J?. is GRANTED: iilnd it is
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FURTHER ORDERED !ha t respondent need not prod uce the two documents that
arc tbe SLlbject of the motion.
SO ORDERED.
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r AUL L FRI ED MAN
United States Distri ct Juuge
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