U.S. DOJ seeks to reverse court ruling allowing Apple access to federal agency records

The United States Department of Justice has filed a motion asking a federal court to reconsider a recent order that permitted Apple Inc. to obtain documents from 14 federal agencies in its 2024 antitrust lawsuit. Earlier, Judge José Linares granted Apple discovery, treating the agencies as parties to the case. The DOJ argues that the judge applied the wrong legal standard, asserting that the agencies should be regarded as non‑parties entitled to greater protection under Rule 45 and that a fact‑specific assessment of each agency’s relationship to the case is required.

Declarations supporting the DOJ’s position have been submitted by officials from several agencies, while the Commerce Department and the Federal Trade Commission did not file statements. If the court overturns the earlier decision, Apple’s subpoenas to agencies such as the CIA, FBI and NASA would be blocked, moving the discovery fight back to an earlier stage. The dispute is separate from Apple’s ongoing battles over device encryption and other legal matters.