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Motion for Temporary Restraining Order Case 1:20-cv-01710-BAH Document 4 Filed 06/25/20 Page 1 of 41 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OPEN TECHNOLOGY FUND, AMBASSADOR RYAN CROCKER, AMBASSADOR KAREN KORNBLUH, BEN SCOTT, MICHAEL W. KEMPNER, Plaintiffs, Case No. 1:20-cv-1710 v. The Honorable Beryl A. Howell, Chief Judge MICHAEL PACK, in his official capacity as Chief Executive Officer and Director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Defendant. PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION DEEPAK GUPTA GUPTA WESSLER PLLC 1900 L Street, NW, Suite 312 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 888-1741 [email protected] June 25, 2020 Counsel for Plaintiffs Case 1:20-cv-01710-BAH Document 4 Filed 06/25/20 Page 2 of 41 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Statutory and factual background .................................................................................................... 5 Argument ........................................................................................................................................ 16 I. Open Technology Fund is likely to succeed on its claim that Pack lacks any legal authority whatsoever to remove its officers or directors. ......................... 16 II. The plaintiffs are likely to prevail on their claim that Pack’s attempted “governmental takeover” of all four private organizations is unlawful. .................. 21 III. The plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that Pack’s actions— including his “freeze” of grant funds—were “not in accordance with law” and must be set aside under the APA. ........................................................... 24 IV. The plaintiffs will suffer irreparable harm without an injunction. ......................... 27 A. Open Technology Fund is already suffering—and will continue to suffer—irreparable harm without an injunction. ................................... 27 B. The individual director plaintiffs will each suffer irreparable harm without an injunction. ....................................................................... 31 V. The balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in favor of a temporary restraining order. .................................................................................. 32 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 33 i Case 1:20-cv-01710-BAH Document 4 Filed 06/25/20 Page 3 of 41 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, Inc., 570 U.S. 205 (2013) .................................................................................................................. 3, 26 American Meat Institute v. United States Department of Agriculture, 968 F. Supp. 2d 38 (D.D.C. 2013), judgment reinstated, 760 F.3d 18 (D.C. Cir. 2014) ....................... 33 Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings, Inc. v. Mesa Air Group, Inc., 295 F. Supp. 2d 75 (D.D.C. 2003) ................................................................................................ 32 Atlas Air, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 928 F.3d 1102 (D.C. Cir. 2019) ....................................................................................................... 16 Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches v. England, 454 F.3d 290 (D.C. Cir. 2006) ................................................................................................. 4, 30 Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 (1971) ........................................................................................................................ 24 Davis v. Rondina, 741 F. Supp. 1115 (S.D.N.Y. 1990) .............................................................................................. 4, 31 Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, — U.S. —, 2020 WL 3271746 (2020) .............................................................................................. 3 Forsham v. Harris, 445 U.S. 169 (1980) ....................................................................................................................... 22 Holiday CVS, L.L.C. v. Holder, 2012 WL 10973832 (D.D.C. Feb. 7, 2012) ....................................................................................... 16 League of Women Voters of United States v. Newby, 838 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2016) ........................................................................................... 4, 27, 29, 30 Nken v. Holder, 556 U.S. 418 (2009) ...................................................................................................................... 32 Pennsylvania Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association v. Wolf, 328 F.Supp.3d 400 (M.D. Pa. 2018) ............................................................................................. 32 Ralis v. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Inc., 770 F.2d 1121 (D.C. Cir. 1985) ................................................................................................. passim Ramirez v. United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement, 310 F. Supp. 3d 7 (D.D.C. 2018) .................................................................................................. 32 Ross v. Blake, 136 S. Ct. 1850 (2016) ..................................................................................................................... 17 ii Case 1:20-cv-01710-BAH Document 4 Filed 06/25/20 Page 4 of 41 Russello v. United States, 464 U.S. 16 (1983) ......................................................................................................................... 18 Street v. Vitti, 685 F. Supp. 379 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) ............................................................................................. 5, 31 Suchodolski Associates, Inc. v. Cardell Financial Corp., 2003 WL 22909149 (S.D.N.Y. 2003) ............................................................................................. 31 Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7 (2008) .......................................................................................................................... 16 Wisdom Import Sales Co., LLC v. Labatt Brewing Co., Ltd., 339 F.3d 101 (2d Cir. 2003) ............................................................................................................ 31 Statutes 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A) ..................................................................................................................... 3, 24 22 U.S.C § 6201(5) .............................................................................................................................. 6 22 U.S.C. § 6202(a)(5) ........................................................................................................................ 6 22 U.S.C. § 6202(b)(1) ......................................................................................................................... 6 22 U.S.C. § 6202(b)(2) ........................................................................................................................ 7 22 U.S.C. § 6203 .......................................................................................................................... 7, 12 22 U.S.C. § 6204(b) .............................................................................................................. 2, 6, 7, 22 22 U.S.C. § 6207 ............................................................................................................................... 17 22 U.S.C. § 6209(c) .................................................................................................................... passim 22 U.S.C. § 6209(d) ................................................................................................................... passim 22 U.S.C. § 6211 ................................................................................................................................ 17 22 U.S.C. § 6215 ................................................................................................................................ 17 2 C.F.R. § 200.100(a)(1) ........................................................................................................... 3, 25, 34 2 C.F.R. § 200.338 ................................................................................................................. 3, 25, 34 Firewall and Highest Standards of Professional Journalism, 85 Fed. Reg. 36,150, 36,151 (June 11, 2020) (to be codified at 22 C.F.R. § 531) ................... 2, 7, 14, 22 Pub. L. No. 103-236, 108 Stat. 432 (Apr. 30, 1994) .............................................................................. 6 iii Case 1:20-cv-01710-BAH Document 4 Filed 06/25/20 Page 5 of 41 Other Authorities @realDonaldTrump, Twitter (June 4, 2020) ................................................................................... 11 Noah Bierman, Trump Says He Wants a Government-Run Media Outlet. He’s Ignored the One He Has—So Far, L.A. Times (Dec. 14, 2018, 3:00 AM) ................................................................................... 10 Sarah Ellison, How Trump’s Obsessions with Media and Loyalty Coalesced in a Battle for Voice of America, Wash. Post (June 19, 2020, 4:52 PM EDT) ................................................................................... 11 "GREAT!” @realDonaldTrump, Twitter (Nov.
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