Murphy v. DHS, ECF 16 — joint status report

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Research, not advice. Part of the Bitcoin research archive (October 2026). Claims labelled unverified, contested or fringe are reported, not endorsed; statuses of bills and rules are as of the date checked. Government, court and patent records are public domain; the research notes are CC BY 4.0.

Case 1:25-cv-01025-RBW          Document 16       Filed 01/29/26     Page 1 of 3

                             UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
                             FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 JAMES A. MURPHY,

                Plaintiff,

         v.
                                                         Civil Action No. 25-1025 (RBW)
 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
 SECURITY,

                Defendant.

                                  JOINT STATUS REPORT

        Plaintiff James A. Murphy and Defendant the Department of Homeland Security, file this

joint status report to apprise the Court of the status in this action brought under the Freedom of

Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552.

        Plaintiff James Murphy seeks disclosure of records from the Department of Homeland

Security relating to Satoshi Nakamoto, the name for the individual(s) who claim to have created

the digital asset Bitcoin. See generally Compl. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement

(“ICE”) reports that it has completed its search for potentially responsive records, which has

resulted in 2,524 potentially responsive documents. ICE made an initial five-page production to

Plaintiff on September 12, 2025. As of January 29, 2026, ICE has now completed its

responsiveness review of the remaining records. Consequently, ICE has identified one final

responsive document, totaling three pages, which it anticipates producing to Plaintiff by next

week.

        In light of Defendant’s anticipated final production, Plaintiff needs time to review the

productions and determine whether further action is necessary.

        Given this status, the parties believe that summary judgment and the filing of a Vaughn
       Case 1:25-cv-01025-RBW           Document 16          Filed 01/29/26     Page 2 of 3

Index is premature at this time. The parties propose filing another status report in approximately

sixty days, or on or before March 30, 2026, that updates the Court on the status of this matter.

Dated: January 29, 2026                              Respectfully submitted,

                                                     /s/ Brian J. Field
                                                     Brian J. Field (D.C. Bar No. 985577)
                                                     SCHAERR | JAFFE LLP
                                                     1717 K Street NW, Suite 900
                                                     Washington, DC 20006
                                                     (202) 787-1060
                                                     [email protected]

                                                     Counsel for Plaintiff

                                                     JEANINE FERRIS PIRRO
                                                     United States Attorney

                                                     /s/    Zachariah Lindsey
                                                     ZACHARIAH LINDSEY, DC BAR #1766679
                                                     Assistant United States Attorney
                                                     U.S. Attorney’s Office, Civil Division
                                                     601 D Street, N.W.
                                                     Washington, DC 20530
                                                     (202) 445-3658
                                                     [email protected]

                                                     Attorneys for the United States of America

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        Case 1:25-cv-01025-RBW           Document 16        Filed 01/29/26     Page 3 of 3

                              UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
                              FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 JAMES A. MURPHY,

                Plaintiff,

         v.
                                                           Civil Action No. 25-1025 (RBW)
 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
 SECURITY,

                Defendant.

                                     [PROPOSED] ORDER

        Upon consideration of the parties’ joint status report, it is hereby ORDERED that the

parties file a joint status report on or before March 30, 2026.

SO ORDERED.

Dated                                                 REGGIE B. WALTON
                                                      United States District Judge

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