# 119-hr-9778: Judicial FOIA Expansion Act

119-hr-9778, Judicial FOIA Expansion Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-31).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9778
- As of: 2026-07-31
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9778
- Congress: 119
- Title: Judicial FOIA Expansion Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-20
- Sponsor: Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-31

## Summary

**Applies the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act to most federal courts to make a set of judicial records publicly accessible.** The bill defines which courts are covered, lists categories of court records that must be available, and sets new publication and representation rules for those records. - The public gains access to specific court records, including attorney disciplinary proceedings or sanctions, complaints and investigations against judges or court staff, Federal Judicial Conference calendars and minutes, Federal Judicial Center research, completed jury selection forms, performance reports, PACER audit or update plans, and annual reports to Congress. - Judges and court personnel face disclosure of disciplinary files and performance reports, though deliberative matters from hearings and information tied to ongoing cases remain exempt. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is explicitly excluded from coverage. - Courts must publish covered records in machine-readable form and the Attorney General will represent courts in FOIA or Privacy Act claims. The bill also authorizes creation of an office within the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to meet these requirements. *Authorizes $10 million for fiscal year 2027 to implement these new transparency requirements.*

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Funding to set up court FOIA office: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would authorize $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to meet the Act's requirements. The authorization explicitly includes creating an office inside the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to implement the changes. This is an authorization of funding, not an immediate…
- More public access to court records: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would treat many judicial-branch bodies as "courts of the United States" for FOIA and the Privacy Act. It would list types of court records you could request, including attorney discipline records (not deliberations), complaints or investigations of judges or staff, Federal Jud…
- Attorney General defends courts in FOIA suits: mixed, low. If enacted, the Attorney General would represent a court of the United States in any claim brought under the Freedom of Information Act or the Privacy Act. The Department of Justice would handle legal defense for courts in those cases. This centralizes who defends courts in FOIA and Privacy Act lit…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender…

## Sources
- [119-hr-9778 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9778)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implem…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-1058)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9778 (as of 2026-07-31).