Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for all FBI communications from bureau officials using several systems and databases regarding investigations carried out after an October 4, 2021, memo from Attorney General Merrick Garland instructing investigators to target American parents due to an alleged "increase in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school board members, teachers and workers in our nation's public schools" (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:23-cv-01856)).

Judicial Watch is following up on the controversial October 4, 2021, memo by Garland instructing federal law enforcement to "open dedicated lines of communication for threat reporting, assessment, and response" on possible criminal threats to local school board members over politically charged issues such as Critical Race Theory and other extremism.

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the Justice Department and FBI failed to respond to a February 17, 2023, FOIA request for:

Records and communications (internal and external) of the below named Federal Bureau of Investigation employees or former employees regarding 1) school board threats 2) meetings with U.S. attorneys' offices in accordance with Attorney General Merrick Garland's Oct. 4, 2021 memo, which directed the FBI to partner with local law enforcement and U.S. attorneys to identify parental threats at school board meetings 3) EDUOFFICIALS 4) National School Boards Association (NSBA) 4) Moms for Liberty 5) Turning Point USA

Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI

Paul Abbate, Deputy Director of the FBI

Carlton L. Peeples, SAIC, Birmingham Field Office

Jay Greenberg, SAIC, St. Louis Field Office

Calvin A. Shivers, Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative Division, FBI Headquarters

Brian M. Cohen, Unit Chief and Senior Program Manager, FBI Headquarters

Timothy Langan, Executive Assistant Director, Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, FBI Headquarters

Kevin Vorndran, former Deputy Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, FBI Headquarters