Kabas v. District of Columbia
Case Number: 2025 CAB 003703
Court: Superior Court for the District of Columbia
Client: Marisa Kabas
Background: On March 14, 2025, members of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency unsuccessfully attempted to enter the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank funded by Congress. Days later, DOGE returned to the headquarters and took over the building with assistance from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department.
Journalist Marisa Kabas, who has reported on the takeover, submitted a public records request to the MPD for body-worn camera footage of the incident under the District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act. After MPD acknowledged receipt of the request, it went unanswered.
On behalf of Kabas, attorneys from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed this lawsuit alleging that MPD violated FOIA by failing to comply with statutory deadlines and unlawfully withholding agency records.
In October 2025, MPD released approximately five minutes of bodycam footage to Kabas, claiming that the rest of the footage is subject to exemptions under FOIA. As Kabas reported, the released footage largely shows “officers moving up and down stairwells, the butts of officers in front of them, and various people in the building walking through hallways.”
Quote: “On that March day, MPD showed a disturbing willingness to sell out the people they’re tasked with protecting in order to bend to the president’s will,” Kabas wrote in a post about the lawsuit. “But in order to know how it really went down that day, more footage is necessary. We need more than butts and stairwells to understand.”
Filings:
2025-06-10: Complaint
2025-08-11: Defendant’s answer
2025-11-07: Plaintiff’s combined statement of undisputed material facts and response to defendant’s statement
2025-11-07: Proposed order
2025-11-07: Declaration of Allyson Veile
2025-11-07: Declaration of Anna Dean
2025-11-07: Declaration of Colin O’Brien
2025-11-07: Declaration of George Foote
2025-11-07: Declaration of George Moose
2025-11-07: Declaration of Gonzalo Gallegos
2025-11-07: Declaration of Marisa Kabas
2025-11-07: Declaration of Sophia Lin