Your lawyer should have copies of all documents filed with the administrative law judge, and
should be able to assist you in viewing those documents.
Generally, all documents filed with an administrative law judge are public records and are
available at the presiding judge's office, or if the case is not yet assigned, through the clerk's
office. By way of exception, some documents are sealed by special court order, and some
documents are confidential by operation of law, such as trade secrets and confidential financial or
commercial information.
Before OALJ can permit a viewing of a case file, the file must be reviewed to prevent disclosure
of any non-public information. Thus, you must make an appointment to review a file.
Fees are assessed in accordance with the Department of Labor's Freedom of Information Act
regulations at 29 C.F.R. Part 70.
In permanent alien labor certification cases, the Certifying Officer is required to provide an
index of the appeal file to the employer and the alien, and to afford access to the
complete Appeal File at the office of the Certifying Officer, for the
purpose of satisfying the employer and the alien as to the contents. 20 C.F.R. §656.26(c)(6)(2001)
