WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to keep search-warrant records connected to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home sealed while investigators continue their work. In a redacted public memorandum filed Tuesday, October 27, 2026, government lawyers argued that requests to release the records are premature because the warrant has been only partially executed and a charging decision has not been made public. The 47-page filing responds to three proceedings seeking access to the records: an application by 14 press organizations, one by The New York Times, and one involving Judicial Watch. The cases are before Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington. What the government is requesting DOJ asked the court to deny the requests without prejudice, which would leave applicants able to renew them after the warrant is fully executed and a charging decision is publicly announced. The department said it does not necessarily oppose releasing some materials later with redactions. For now, it argued, disclosure could jeopardize the investigation, reveal sensitive information and affect the privacy and interests of people discussed in the records. Government lawyers also contended that neither the First Amendment nor the common law requires immediate access at this stage. Those are the government’s legal arguments, not a ruling on the requests. DOJ said the public attention surrounding the case would make redactions insufficient to protect the investigation at present. Much of the memorandum’s background section is itself redacted, limiting what readers can determine about the warrant’s basis and execution. A request for a later update The government said it expects the warrant to be fully executed “in short order” and asked the court to require a status report within 30 days after execution is complete. The filing does not set a public date for completion. If the court orders records released sooner, DOJ asked for a future unsealing date that would allow time to seek an emergency stay pending appeal, subject to authorization by the Solicitor General. The investigation and Omar’s response Federal agents searched Omar’s Washington residence on October 12. Omar has denied wrongdoing and characterized the investigation as politically motivated. Her attorneys have separately sought the return of seized property and raised objections to how the search was conducted. The October 27 memorandum concerns access to sealed records. It does not announce charges against Omar or establish that she committed a crime. DOJ’s request for secrecy is a position for the court to consider, rather than a finding of guilt. Photo: Rep. Ilhan Omar’s official portrait for the 116th Congress, photographed December 3, 2018. Kristie Boyd / U.S. House Office of Photography; public domain.