The Bush administration formed the National Energy Policy Development Group to develop the nation's energy policy in 2001. However, in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or the open meetings law, as it is better known, the task force refused to turn over information pertaining to who was involved and what was discussed. (This is same law conservatives accused Hillary Clinton of violating when she attempted to launch her secret government takeover of the nation's healthcare system in the early 1990s.)

Judicial Watch immediately filed Freedom of Information Act requests and other legal actions to bring the inner workings of the Energy Task Force out in to the open for public scrutiny. When the Bush Administration refused to comply, JW had no choice but to file lawsuits. Since that time, nearly 40,000 pages of documents from agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have been released into the public domain.

Unfortunately, on May 9, 2005, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the Vice President's Energy Task Force did not have to comply with the Federal Advisory Act.  Given the importance of the legal issues involved, and the string of court victories earned by Judicial Watch, this was still a battle worth fighting.

Court Documents

• Brief for Sierra Club and Judicial Watch - Regarding the Cheney Energy Task Force (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) (Jan 27, 2005)
• Appeals Court Urged To Look At Cheney Energy Task Force Subgroups - See the document as filed. Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (Sep 13, 2004)
• Transcript of Judicial Watch's oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Cheney Energy Task Force Case - Adobe Acrobat Reader Required (May 11, 2004)
• Cheney v. U.S. District Court - Audio archive of Judicial Watch's Supreme Court hearing provided by CSPAN (Real Audio Player required) (Apr 28, 2004)
• BRIEF IN OPPOSITION OF RESPONDENT JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. - RICHARD B. CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ET AL., v. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, filed in the Supreme Court of the United States (For the Adobe Acrobat version, click here) (Apr 27, 2004)
• Court Opinion Regarding the Cheney Energy Task Force - Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Department of Energy, et. al. , View the court document (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Apr 1, 2004)
• RESPONSE OF PLAINTIFF JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, et al., See the document as filed. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Dec 11, 2002)
• MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER - JW v. NEPDG, Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. (Nov 27, 2002)
• PLAINTIFF JUDICIAL WATCH’S OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS’ AMENDED MOTION FOR CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) AND FOR EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF THIS MOTION - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Nov 6, 2002)
• Order Denying Defendant's Motion to Stay - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Nov 1, 2002)
• PLAINTIFF JUDICIAL WATCH’S OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR A STAY PENDING APPEAL - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, See the document as filed (Oct 24, 2002)
• MOTION TO COMPEL AND MOTION FOR ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, See the document as filed (Oct 17, 2002)
• Memorandum in Support of Defendants' Motion - Judicial Watch v. NEPDG, See the document as filed (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Sep 4, 2002)
• Declaration of Karen Y. Knutson - Judicial Watch v. NEPDG, See the document as filed (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Sep 4, 2002)
• Plaintiffs’ Proposed Discovery Plan - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, See document as filed. (Aug 1, 2002)
• Plaintiffs’ Reply In Support of Their Proposed Discovery Plan - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, See the document as filed. (Aug 1, 2002)
• Second Amended Complaint - JUDICIAL WATCH, INC. v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, See the document as filed (Jul 12, 2002)
• Opinion on Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force - Issued by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (Jul 12, 2002)
• Email from Release of Energy Department Documents - Judicial Watch v. National Energy Policy Development Group,, Email from an Energy official, asking an energy industry lobbyist, "If you were King, or Il Duce, what would you include in a national energy policy, especially with respect to natural gas issues?" (Apr 26, 2002)
• Memo to Vice President Cheney from Haley Barbour - Judicial Watch v. National Energy Policy Development Group, Memo sent regarding energy policy (Apr 26, 2002)
• Judicial Watch Legal Brief On Cheney Energy Task - Plaintiff's Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (Mar 22, 2002)
• Vice President Cheney's Motion to Dismiss Judicial Watch Energy Task Force Lawsuit - Judicial Watch v. National Energy Policy Development Group, (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, file size over 4mb) (Mar 8, 2002)
• Memorandum Opinion and Order - Judicial Watch, Inc. v. United States Department of Energy, Requires Adobe Acrobate Reader (Mar 5, 2002)
• PLAINTIFF’S OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME TO RESPOND TO AMENDED COMPLAINT - Judicial Watch v. NEPDG, Regarding Judicial Watch’s case against the Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force (Feb 27, 2002)
• Amended Complaint - Judicial Watch v. NEPDG, Regarding Judicial Watch’s case against the Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force (Feb 20, 2002)
• PLAINTIFF’S RESPONSE TO DEFENDANT’S RESPONSE TO THE COURT’S ORDER OF JANUARY 31, 2002 - Judicial Watch v. NEPDG, Regarding Judicial Watch’s case against the Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force (Feb 8, 2002)
• DEFENDANTS'S RESPONSE TO THE COURT'S ORDER OF JANUARY 31, 2002 - Judicial Watch v. NEPDG, Regarding Judicial Watch’s case against the Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force (Feb 5, 2002)

Press Releases

• Appeals Court Permits Energy Task Force Records to Remain Secret (May 10, 2005)
• Supreme Court Ruling On Energy Task Force No Victory For Bush Administration (Jun 24, 2004)
• Appeals Court To Hear Judicial Watch Lawsuit Against Vice President Cheney (Sep 23, 2004)
• Supreme Court Allows 'Divided' Arguments in Cheney Case (Apr 5, 2004)
• Judicial Watch Files Supreme Court Brief in Cheney Energy Task Force Case (Mar 12, 2004)
• Cheney Energy Task Force Documents Feature Map of Iraqi Oilfields (Jul 17, 2003)
• “You Have No Case!”: Appellate Judges Lambaste Cheney Legal Position on Energy Task Force (Apr 17, 2003)
• GAO Drops Lawsuit Against Cheney Energy Task Force (Feb 7, 2003)
• Cheney Energy Task Force Case Continues (Dec 11, 2002)
• Judge Denies Vice President Cheney’s Request to Appeal Lower Court’s Orders in Energy Task Force Case (Nov 27, 2002)
• Court Orders Vice President Cheney to Turn Over Documents in Energy Task Force Case (Oct 17, 2002)
• JW Victory: Court Rules Against Cheney, Energy Task Force – Discovery to Commence in Weeks (Jul 12, 2002)

Information

• Timeline for Cheney Energy Task Force Case - Adobe Acrobat Reader required
• Fact Sheet for Cheney Energy Task Force Case - Judicial Watch Calls for Transparency, Openness and Honesty in Government Dealings