Judicial Watch: Federal Judge Orders November 17 Hearing on Unsealing Ilhan Omar Search Warrant Reco...

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that Chief Judge James E. Boasberg set a hearing for next week on Judicial Watch and media requests to unseal the search warrant and other records on the October 12 search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) home. The hearing is set for Tuesday, November 17 at 11:00 a.m. (In re Application of Fourteen Press Organizations for Access to Sealed Search Warrant Records, No. 1:26-mc-00144 (D.D.C.)).

On November 12, 2026, Boasberg issued the following order, specifically directing the government:

The Court ORDERS that the parties shall appear for a hearing on November 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. on Petitioners’ Applications to Unseal. The Government shall be prepared to address why materials beyond the Affidavit itself cannot be unsealed.

Judicial Watch filed a motion on October 15, 2026, asking the court to unseal records related to the October 12 search of Omar’s home, including the warrant, its application, supporting affidavits and attachments, any return and inventory, the docket sheet, and related briefs, motions, orders, opinions, and transcripts. The request includes records concerning the scope of the search and the court’s decision to seal the materials.

Judicial Watch noted its interest in allegations concerning Omar predates the search. On July 23, 2019, Judicial Watch filed an ethics complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics requesting an investigation into allegations of perjury, immigration fraud, marriage fraud, state and federal tax fraud, and federal student loan fraud.

Judicial Watch argues that the public has a right to access the warrant records under both common law and the First Amendment. Its motion states:

[T]he public’s need for access is substantial. The government has searched an elected official’s home and has publicly acknowledged an ongoing criminal investigation, even to the point of commenting on its conduct. Representative Omar has disputed the government’s account and used the search and those comments to solicit campaign contributions. News reports based on unnamed sources have added accounts of the Court’s restrictions and the government’s requests. The public has a legitimate interest in understanding the factual basis for the warrant and the government’s exercise of its investigative authority….

“The Justice Department wants to hide from the public basic information about the search of Ilhan Omar’s home. At a minimum, the public should be able to see the search warrant they handed to Ilhan Omar!” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Judicial Watch has a record of successfully seeking the release of sealed search-warrant materials in high-profile federal investigations.

In August 2022, Judicial Watch forced the release of a heavily redacted affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for the unprecedented FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago. The release followed a court order granting Judicial Watch’s request to unseal the records.

In August 2026, a federal court unsealed the key search warrant records behind the Biden FBI’s September 2022 seizure of Mike Lindell’s cell phone (In the Matter of the Search of a Person Located in the District of Minnesota (No. 22-mj-742 (TNL))). The records, unsealed at the request of Judicial Watch and Mike Lindell, show that the Biden FBI used private litigant Dominion Voting Systems’ then-pending $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Mike Lindell and others (a lawsuit that had been settled as to Lindell earlier this year) as well as other information from Dominion as part of its justification for seeking the warrant.

Judicial Watch has also moved to unseal warrant materials targeting Rudy Giuliani, Victoria Toensing, and Michael Caputo.

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