Government Unseals Chilling Civil Rights Cold Case Secrets
Published Date: 5/27/2025
Notice
Summary
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board reviewed 418 pages of records about three cold cases and decided which parts can be shared with the public. They approved some delays but will release hundreds of pages by May 2025, making important civil rights history more accessible. This update affects anyone interested in these cases and follows a law requiring quick public notice.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Hundreds of cold‑case pages released
The Review Board decided that 354 pages in full and 64 pages in part from a 418‑page records set will be publicly disclosed in the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection. Those determinations were made at meetings on May 9, 2025 and May 16, 2025.
Large number of postponements proposed
NARA, the Department of Justice, and the FBI proposed 559 postponements for records related to two of the incidents under review, which could limit public access to those records. The Review Board approved 161 postponements and portions of 33 additional postponements at its May 2025 meetings.
FBI withdrew 44 postponement proposals
The FBI withdrew 44 of the postponements it had originally proposed for the records. Those withdrawals reduce the number of withheld items and increase the amount of material potentially available to the public.
No postponements proposed for incident 2024-003-066
For incident identifier 2024-003-066, the agencies did not propose any postponements of disclosure, indicating those records were not recommended for withholding. This was noted in the Review Board's May 2025 meetings.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-03814, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board decided to release 1,300 pages of important records about four civil rights cold cases. This means the public can now access these documents, with no delays or extra costs. The decision was made on February 20, 2026, and announced quickly to keep things transparent and timely.
2026-16055, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board previously reviewed and made formal disclosure determinations on records related to civil rights cold case incident 2023-002-007 in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed postponements. DOJ later proposed 2 additional postponements. On August 4, 2026, the Review Board decided on these postponements and revised its decision on one previously proposed postponement. It determined that 24 pages in full and 10 pages in part should be publicly disclosed in the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection. By issuing this notice, the Review Board complies with the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 that requires the Review Board to publish in the Federal Register its determinations on the disclosure or postponement of records in the Collection no more than 14 days after the date of its decision.
2026-14246, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board reviewed 451 pages of records about two civil rights cases and decided to release 88 pages to the public while postponing most others. They’ve asked the Attorney General to help unseal some secret grand jury info. This update affects anyone interested in these historic cases and follows a legal deadline to share their decision within two weeks.
2026-13274, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
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2026-11397, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board reviewed over 14,000 pages of records about two important civil rights cases. They decided to release nearly 13,000 pages to the public while postponing some sensitive info, including sealed grand jury details. This means more history is opening up soon, with the Attorney General asked to help unseal key parts—no extra costs or delays expected beyond the usual legal steps.
2026-09367, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board reviewed over 7,600 pages of records about two important civil rights cases. They decided to release most of the documents to the public but postponed some sensitive info, including sealed grand jury details. This means more history will be shared soon, with some parts still under wraps while legal steps to unseal them are underway.
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