October 28, 2011 | Case

Judicial Watch v. National Archives and Records Administration (No. 07-1987) - Hillary Clinton's Healthcare Task Force

On November 2, 2007 Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration to obtain records related to the National Taskforce on Health Care Reform, a “cabinet-level” taskforce chaired by former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The records at issue are archived at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.According to Clinton Presidential Library records, “The cabinet-level Task Force, chaired by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, was given primary responsibility for providing advice and making recommendations to the President regarding the national health care reform package.” A small category of Health Care Task Force-related documents have been released by the Clinton Presidential Library, but the records of the Health Care Task Force itself have not been disclosed.The National Archives admitted in correspondence to Judicial Watch that there are approximately 3,022,030 textual records, 2,884 pages of electronic records, 1,021 photographs, 3 videotapes and 3 audiotapes that must be reviewed to respond to Judicial Watch’s April 4, 2006 FOIA request. Recently, Judicial Watch agreed to limit its FOIA request to the universe of 1 million responsive documents which include the Task Force staff files and internal documents. In addition, given the byzantine and arbitrary system the Archives has developed for responding to FOIA requests, Judicial Watch is also seeking court permission for limited discovery into the operation of the Clinton Presidential Library.