RismadarVoice Reporters, July 21, 2026
A U.S. federal appeals court has rejected former President Joe Biden’s request to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts of interviews he gave to his memoir ghostwriter before becoming president.
In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that there is a significant public interest in making the materials available, although it temporarily suspended the release until August 3 tallow Bidenty to seek further legal review.
The majority of the three-judge panel ruled that redactions made to the recordings adequately protect Biden’s personal privacy while allowing the public access to information of broader public interest.
According to the court, any remaining impact on Biden’s privacy does not outweigh the public’s right to disclosure.
The recordings stem from interviews conducted in 2016 and 2017 by writer Mark Zwonitzer, who collaborated with Biden on two memoirs.
Biden’s legal team argued that the conversations were personal, candid and intended to remain private.
The materials later came into the possession of former Special Counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents from his time as a U.S. senator and vice president.
Although Hur ultimately declined to bring criminal charges against Biden, Republicans in Congress sought access to the interview recordings as part of their oversight efforts.
Biden subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the Justice Department, under President Donald Trump’s administration, from releasing the recordings to Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation.
The Justice Department had previously argued that the materials were protected from disclosure under federal public records laws.
The appeal followed a June ruling by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who determined that the public interest in the recordings outweighed Biden’s privacy concerns.
The appellate panel consisted of Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, Judge Gregory Katsas, and Judge Florence Pan.
Judge Pan dissented from the majority decision, while Srinivasan and Katsas voted in favour of allowing the release of the materials.
The case is expected to continue if Biden decides to pursue another appeal before the temporary stay expires in early August.
