War Horse sues for Black Book

The War Horse has brought a noteworthy Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C. It concerns access to a book that is said to record disciplinary issues involving officers of the U.S. Marine Corps. According to The War Horse,

The War Horse News has sued the Navy and Marine Corps, alleging that they broke the law by denying requests for a database of public information about officer misconduct.

On Friday, The War Horse filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that the Department of the Navy and the Marine Corps have repeatedly violated the Freedom of Information Act by withholding the records. 

“The War Horse’s mission to increase public awareness of the military justice system is important and just,” said Chad Darcy, a Marine veteran and an attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine, the law firm representing The War Horse pro bono for the suit.

“It is disappointing that the Department of the Navy and Headquarters Marine Corps issued a blanket denial of The War Horse’s FOIA request. We welcome the opportunity to vindicate our client’s position in this litigation.”

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The reporting revealed that, inside the notebook, all investigations of and crimes committed by officers are kept meticulously tracked—and often omitted from the official record and congressional disclosures—throughout their careers. During the reporting, multiple Marine officers told The War Horse that the ongoing behavior highlights a mix of favoritism and “sugar daddy deals” that are overseen by military lawyers and the Corps’ most senior officers. 

The complaint can be found here.