American Atheists says it has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior, alleging that the agencies failed to respond to records requests about Rededicate 250, a Christian worship event held on the National Mall. The group says it waited six months for a response after requesting emails and other documents about the event’s planning and promotion.
In its account of the lawsuit, American Atheists says it seeks records about Rededicate 250, held May 17, 2026. The organization identifies Freedom 250, an entity within the Interior Department, as the event’s organizer. It says the program included a Christian opening worship service, a Christian worship concert, and speeches by Evangelical Christian government employees, elected officials, and supporters of the Trump administration.
Freedom 250 described the gathering as a spiritual milestone. In a press release, it advertised Freedom 250 to host historic “Rededicate 250” gathering on the National Mall, describing sunrise worship before the U.S. Capitol followed by a day of prayer, music, and testimony. Admission was free and open to all Americans, according to Freedom 250.
FOIA Requests Went Unanswered for Months
American Atheists says it asked the Interior and Justice departments for emails and other records about the event and received no response after six months. The group also alleges that the Justice Department promoted Rededicate 250 by sending invitations to government employees and members of the public.
Mall rules and FOIA workload
According to the National Park Service, demonstrations with more than 25 people on the Mall require a free permit, and the agency’s list of covered activities includes religious services. The guidance does not establish whether Rededicate 250 required or received a permit. The Justice Department’s FY 2025 FOIA report summary says the federal government as a whole received approximately 14% more requests and processed approximately 10% more than in FY 2024. Those government-wide figures provide workload context but do not establish a backlog or delay at either agency in this case, according to the Justice Department Office of Information Policy.
What permits and earlier court rulings establish
The National Park Service permit guidance cited above covers religious services as demonstrations on the Mall. It addresses permit requirements, but does not establish whether Rededicate 250 required or received a permit, or whether the event was private religious speech or government-sponsored activity. The guidance therefore does not resolve the constitutional questions raised by the lawsuit. A separate National Day of Prayer case concerned government proclamations, not the Rededicate 250 gathering. According to Alliance Defending Freedom, the Seventh Circuit ruled on April 14, 2011, that a “feeling of alienation” was not enough for the Freedom From Religion Foundation to bring its challenge. That was a decision about standing, not a ruling on the event at issue here.
American Atheists is asking a federal court to order the departments to search for and produce responsive records. The organization’s legal director, Geoffrey T. Blackwell, argued that administrations and appointees must comply with FOIA and said the administration had not explained how the group characterizes as an unconstitutional worship event came about.
Oversight Letters and a Separate FOIA Fight
Representative Jared Huffman, whom American Atheists identifies as ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, issued letters concerning the matter. The organization says the letters required recipient agencies to preserve responsive records and data, identify and recover deleted information, and suspend any destruction and deletion practices.
A separate FOIA case is also seeking records about federal involvement in religious programming connected to Freedom 250. The Freedom From Religion Foundation says it sued the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The foundation has also noted that Congress voted in 2016 to appropriate $150 million to the Interior Department for broader semiquincentennial activities known as America 250, according to Freedom From Religion Foundation.
American Atheists describes itself as a national civil rights organization dedicated to equality for atheists and other nonreligious people. Nick Fish, whom the organization identified in connection with the lawsuit, argued that the government should not organize, fund, or promote worship services without public scrutiny. He said the public should be able to seek a remedy when public land and agencies are used to advance what he called white Christian nationalism.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Litigation
American Atheists says the Mall case is among several legal actions it has brought against the current administration. The group says it has filed two other recent FOIA lawsuits against the Trump administration: one against the Department of Defense over the elimination of religious identification codes for atheist and nonreligious service members, and another against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services concerning religious visas linked to human trafficking.
Melina Cohen, the organization’s director of strategic communications, is listed among the figures involved in publicizing the case. American Atheists says the dispute reflects broader concerns about agency transparency and argues that court action is needed to obtain records about the event.
