Passim

Mandamus decisions / District of Columbia

Sheikh v. Blinken / Janay v. Blinken

District of ColumbiaRandolph D. MossDecided July 16, 2024No. 1:23-cv-03737

Read the decisionOriginal on GovInfo

2,914 written decisions from 2,661 cases in the whole mandamus and agency-delay group, the group's newest decided October 30, 2026. Updated November 3, 2026 at 1:24 a.m. CT; the Passim connector counts the live collection, which can differ by the day's additions and retirements (which total to quote). Coverage: of the 1,606 public decisions since January 1, 2025 that a CourtListener and GovInfo search for mandamus and agency delay finds, Passim holds 1,371 (85%), measured November 3, 2026. Some of what that search finds are not mandamus decisions. Tell us about a decision we're missing.

These are counts of past written decisions and dockets, not predictions of how any case will be decided. A distribution appears only when at least 5 decisions (or 5 dockets) are behind it; smaller groups are listed, not summarized. How it's counted.

What the decision decided

Each value cites the passage it was read from. Values read by a model were checked against that passage; values read by rule come from fixed text patterns. Read the decision before relying on either.

Agency Department of State Read by a model
No one doubts that the decision to grant or deny a visa application is left exclusively to consular officers.
Form or filing 221(g) (consular refusal); DS-260 (immigrant visa) Read by a model
Then, on October 14, 2021, Plaintiffs timely submitted their online immigrant visa application.
What the suit asked for Finish 221(g) processing Read by a model
They seek a court order declaring the delay in adjudicating Plaintiff Sheikh’s visa application “unreasonable” and compelling Defendant and his subordinates to ensure that the application is adjudicated without “any further unreasonable delay.”
Kind of order A ruling on a motion or the petition Read by a model
Defendant’s motion to dismiss, Dkt. 7, will be granted.
Motion decided Motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction; Motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim Read by a model
Pending before the Court are Defendant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), Dkt. 7 at 9, and Plaintiffs’ motion to compel production of the administrative record, Dkt. 9.
Whose motion Cross-motions Read by a model
Plaintiffs’ motion to compel production of the administrative record, Dkt. 9, will be denied, and Defendant’s motion to dismiss, Dkt. 7, will be granted.
Disposition Dismissed The case or every delay claim was dismissed for a reason other than mootness. Read by a model
For the reasons that follow, the Court will deny Plaintiffs’ motion, will grant Defendant’s motion, and will dismiss the complaint.
Prevailing party Government Read by a model
For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs’ motion to compel production of the administrative record, Dkt. 9, will be denied, and Defendant’s motion to dismiss, Dkt. 7, will be granted.
The delay claim Dismissed Read by a model
The Court thus concludes that Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim for unreasonable delay under the APA and are also not entitled to mandamus relief.
Months pending 33.1 months from the application to the court's decision Read by a model
Then, on October 14, 2021, Plaintiffs timely submitted their online immigrant visa application.
TRAC factors The court weighed the TRAC factors
  • 1. Rule of reasonnot reached
  • 2. Congressional timetablenot reached
  • 3. Human health and welfarefavors the applicant
  • 4. Competing prioritiesnot reached
  • 5. Interests prejudicedfavors the applicant
  • 6. No impropriety neededfavors the government
Read by a model
Here, the family separation weighs in favor of Plaintiffs, although perhaps less dramatically than in cases involving longer delays.
Threshold rulings None Read by a model
Nationality Kenya Read by a model
Yussuf Hussein Sheikh, a citizen of Kenya
I-130 category Immediate relative Read by a model
Maryan Janay and her spouse Yussuf Hussein Sheikh, a citizen of Kenya

How the case ended

Docket
No. 1:23-cv-03737
Filed
December 14, 2023
Ended
July 16, 2024
Suit's filing to its end
215 days
How it ended
Dismissed on jurisdiction or the merits
From the record
order 2024-07-16 for the defendants, ground not stated; idb disp 14 (dismissed: other)

A voluntary or stipulated dismissal is how most suits end once the agency acts; the docket rarely says why. Other suits in this court.

Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit authority

District decisions bind no one. On the questions this decision raises, the Supreme Court decisions and the circuit's published decisions listed here bind this court; a circuit disposition marked nonprecedential was not published as precedent and is persuasive only. ImmCite status as read November 3, 2026. Check the current status before relying on one.