Feds Unlock 1,623 Pages of Chilling Civil Rights Cold Case Files
Published Date: 3/18/2026
Notice
Summary
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board decided to release most pages from two important civil rights cold case files, making 1,623 pages available to the public. Some sensitive information will stay sealed for now, but the Board might revisit that later. These decisions follow a law that requires quick public updates and don’t involve any new costs or deadlines for the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
1,623 Pages Released to the Public
The Review Board decided to publicly disclose a total of 1,623 pages from two civil rights cold case incidents: 821 pages in full and 34 pages in part for incident 2024-003-050 (decision Feb 27, 2026), and 767 pages in full and 1 page in part for incident 2024-004-011 (decision Mar 6, 2026). Those pages were added to the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection and the Board published its notice on March 18, 2026.
Some Grand Jury Material Remains Sealed
For incident 2024-003-050, NARA proposed 259 postponements of sealed federal grand jury information and the Review Board listed those postponement identifiers (2025-NARA-03-0088 through 2025-NARA-03-0348) as postponed; the Board decided not to ask the Attorney General to petition a court to unseal that information at this time but may revisit the decision later.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-19783, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board decided to approve 2 out of 9 new requests to delay releasing certain records about a 2024 civil rights case. This means some information will stay under wraps a bit longer, while most records will be made public soon. These decisions were announced quickly to keep things transparent and on schedule.
2026-17441, 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 2023-002-006 in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed postponements. The DOJ later proposed 4 additional postponements. On August 24, 2026, the Review Board rejected these postponements and determined that 32 pages in full and 33 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.
2026-17368, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board received 5,617 pages of records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) related to three civil rights cold case incidents to which the Review Board assigned the unique identifiers 2023-002-005, 2024-003-029, and 2024-003-052. The agencies proposed 3,691 postponements including postponements of sealed federal grand jury information in the records. On August 7, 2026, the Review Board approved 1,086 postponements and portions of 71 additional postponements and determined that 5,104 pages in full and 513 pages in part should be publicly disclosed in the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection. The Review Board has requested that the Attorney General petition the relevant court to unseal federal grand jury information in the records. 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.
2026-03814, 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.
2025-02522, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board reviewed 679 pages of records about a civil rights case and decided to release most of them to the public. They approved some delays in sharing certain info but made sure 640 pages are fully open and 39 pages partly open. This means more transparency soon, with no extra costs or delays beyond the set rules.
2026-19547, Notice of Formal Determination on Records Release
The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board decided to release nearly 3,050 pages of important civil rights case records to the public while postponing 424 pages for now. This affects anyone interested in these historic cases, with some sealed grand jury info possibly becoming unsealed soon after the Attorney General asks the court. The decision was made on September 18, 2026, and follows a law that requires quick public updates.
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