U.S. President Donald Trump reacts in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
A federal judge in New York admonished the Trump administration Tuesday for trying to bypass public filing protocols by privately emailing crucial spreadsheets, insisting that “we have no secrets here.” The judge ordered the government to immediately place the documents on the public docket.
"We have no secrets here. The government needs to file everything publicly and needs to do so now," the judge said, per CNN reporter Kyle Cheney.
The court filing shows that the administration sought to transmit key data via private email rather than adhering to court rules requiring that all substantive documents be formally filed and publicly accessible.
Judge Colleen McMahon (presiding in the Southern District of New York) rebuked the tactic, reminding the administration that “the government needs to file everything publicly and needs to do so now.” The judge’s language suggested deep frustration with efforts to skirt transparency.
The judge’s directive comes in a case involving the American Council of Learned Societies et al. v. McDonald et al., in which plaintiffs are challenging recent National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) actions.
Defendants include Michael McDonald (Acting Chairman of the NEH), NEH, and officials tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), plus others. The plaintiffs challenge sweeping changes at the NEH — including mass terminations of staff, cancellation of grants, dismantling of programs and divisions — that they say violate multiple federal laws and constitutional rights.
The court earlier recognized the high public interest in ensuring that agencies remain accountable under the Administrative Procedure Act, stressing that “there is no public interest in the perpetuation of unlawful agency action.”