Appeals Court Rejects Biden Bid to Block 2017 Memoir Tapes as Aug. 3 Appeal Window Opens
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Appeals Court Rejects Biden Bid to Block 2017 Memoir Tapes as Aug. 3 Appeal Window Opens
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Summary
A 2-1 D.C. Circuit panel refused to stop the Justice Department from releasing recordings and transcripts of Biden’s interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, though the order is paused until Aug. 3 for a further appeal.
Judges Sri Srinivasan and Gregory Katsas said Biden had not met the high bar for an injunction and was unlikely to win because Justice Department redactions sufficiently addressed his privacy concerns.
The material came into government hands during special counsel Robert Hur’s classified-documents investigation, which ended in 2024 without charges but said Biden had “willfully” retained classified material despite insufficient evidence to prosecute.
Biden sued in May after the Trump administration reversed the Justice Department’s earlier stance and moved in February 2026 to release the records to the Heritage Foundation; dissenting Judge Florence Pan said even redacted disclosure could still harm an uncharged investigation target.