DHS Files Notice of Withdrawal of Customs-Statute Summonses to Meta in J. Doe v. DHS Before the Magistrate Judge Ruled on the Motion to Quash

In J. Doe v. DHS (N.D. Cal. 3:25-mc-80325), an account holder, identified in the caption only as J. Doe and not named here, moved to quash summonses that Homeland Security Investigations issued to Meta under 19 U.S.C. § 1509. The movant filed on October 16, 2025. On January 21, 2026, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Balkissoon filed a Notice of Withdrawal of Summonses before Magistrate Judge Peter H. Kang. Per DHS’s own notice, DHS emailed Meta on January 16, 2026 and withdrew the summonses, and notified the movant on January 16, 2026.

Dates, each with its kind:

• 2025-10-16, filing date: motion to quash filed.
• 2026-01-14, hearing date, per the movant’s fee motion: hearing on the motion to quash.
• 2026-01-16, date of DHS’s email to Meta and notice to the movant, per DHS’s own notice.
• 2026-01-21, filing date of the notice (the entry date).
• 2026-01-28, filing date of the parties’ stipulation of dismissal, per the fee motion. The stipulation recites “following full briefing and argument” and says “DHS no longer seeks any information” under the summonses and “DHS will not attempt to reissue the withdrawn summonses”. It also bars other administrative summonses or subpoenas on the account’s social-media activity, and it waives no other rights.
• 2026-02-10, filing date: the movant’s fee motion under the Equal Access to Justice Act and the federal subpoena-burden rule, requesting $92,984.18 in fees and costs. This is a request, not an award.
• 2026-05-14, filing date: the movant’s statement of recent decision, citing a Supreme Court decision issued April 29, 2026.

The filings read for this entry contain no ruling on whether the customs statute reaches social-media records. The docket was not searched beyond the RECAP PDFs, so a later filing may exist. The stipulation limits DHS only as to this account.

Related: 2026-08-29–dhs-19-usc-1509-customs-summonses-journalists-unions-nonprofits-no-judicial-review (Guardian reporting on the practice) and 2026-08-31–cities-church-defendants-file-dozens-of-motions-selective-prosecution-92-customs-summonses.