Western District of Pennsylvania • 3:26-cv-00185

#1

Feb 09, 2026

PETITION for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Filing fee $5, receipt number APAWDC-9351920), filed by L.S.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A - Sekaran Declaration, # 2 Civil Cover Sheet) (Marquez, Lucas) (Entered: 02/09/2026)

#2

Feb 09, 2026

MOTION to Seal Case FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED UNDER PSEUDONYM by L.S.. (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Order) (Marquez, Lucas) (Entered: 02/09/2026)

#3

Feb 09, 2026

BRIEF in Support re 2 Motion to Seal Case FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED UNDER PSEUDONYM filed by L.S.. (Marquez, Lucas) (Entered: 02/09/2026)

#4

Feb 10, 2026

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE by L.S. re 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Marquez, Lucas) (Entered: 02/10/2026)

Feb 10, 2026

CLERK'S NOTICE OF CORRECTION re 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. ERROR: Party names entered incorrectly. CORRECTION FOR FUTURE FILINGS: Attorney is directed to enter party names correctly as the are listed on the Petition/Complaint which includes party text in all future filings. See the party naming conventions manual on the Court's website at https://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/attorneys. THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED ON THE FILING AT ISSUE. (tla)

Feb 10, 2026

Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand added. (tla)

#5

Feb 11, 2026

Case Management Order

#6

Feb 11, 2026

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE in Compliance with the Court's Order by L.S. re 5 Case Management Order (Marquez, Lucas) (Entered: 02/11/2026)

Feb 11, 2026

CLERK'S NOTICE OF CORRECTION re 2 MOTION to Seal Case FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED UNDER PSEUDONYM. ERROR: Multiple relief motion filed requesting only a relief. CORRECTION FOR FUTURE FILINGS: Filer to select all relief types sought when filing the Motion event. THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED ON THE FILING AT ISSUE. (tla)

#7

Feb 12, 2026

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART 2 Motion to Proceed under Pseudonym and to File Unredacted copies of Filings under Seal. Petitioner requests to proceed under the pseudonym "L.S." Because Petitioner has made a persuasive showing pursuant to the factors set forth in Doe v. Megless, 654 F.3d 404, 408-09 (3d Cir. 2011), IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT the request to proceed under the initials L.S. will be granted provisionally. Because Respondents have not yet been served, and thus lack an opportunity to oppose this Motion, they may respond to the Motion at the time they file a response to the Petition, if they wish to. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Petitioner's request to file documents under seal is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. According to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, "the common law presumes that the public has a right of access to judicial materials." In re Avandia, 924 F.3d 662, 672 (3d Cir. 2019). To overcome this presumptive right of access to judicial materials, "[t]he party seeking to overcome the presumption of access bears the burden of showing 'that the interest in secrecy outweighs the presumption.'" Id. (quoting Bank of Am. Nat'l Trust & Sav. Ass'n v. Hotel Rittenhouse Assocs., 800 F.2d 339, 344 (3d Cir. 1986)). That is, "[t]he movant must show 'that the material is the kind of information that courts will protect and that disclosure will work a clearly defined and serious injury to the party seeking closure.'" Id. (quoting Miller v. Ind. Hosp., 16 F.3d 549, 551 (3d Cir. 1994)). And, "[b]road allegations of harm, bereft of specific examples or articulated reasoning, are insufficient" to meet this burden. Id. at 673 (quoting In re Cendant Corp., 260 F.3d 183, 194 (3d Cir. 2001). Here, Petitioner essentially requests a blanket sealing order for numerous documents and future unidentified documents. This request is overbroad because it does not specify each specific document that is requested to be filed under seal and the specific justification for doing so. Accordingly, the portion of the 2 Motion requesting sealing is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Signed by Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand on 2/12/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (bjw) (Entered: 02/12/2026)

#8

Feb 12, 2026

NOTICE of Appearance by Paul E. Skirtich on behalf of PAM BONDI, TODD LYONS, KRISTI NOEM, DAVID O'NEILL, LEONARD ODDO. (Skirtich, Paul) (Entered: 02/12/2026)

#9

Feb 12, 2026

Responsive pleading to 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus due by 3/13/2026. Signed by Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand on 2/12/2026. Text-only entry; no PDF document will issue. This text-only entry constitutes the Order of the Court or Notice on the matter. (bjw) (Entered: 02/12/2026)

Feb 12, 2026

Order on Motion for Miscellaneous Relief AND Order on Motion to Seal Case

Feb 12, 2026

Order