Supreme Court rules against FBI in No Fly List case

U.S. citizen Yonas Fikre was living in Sudan when he discovered in 2010 that he was placed on the No Fly List list, and he filed a lawsuit in response.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Published: March 19, 2024 12:14pm

The Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously ruled against the FBI in deciding that a man's challenge to his former placement on the No Fly List may proceed.

U.S. citizen Yonas Fikre was living in Sudan when he discovered in 2010 that he was placed on the list. He sued the FBI over his placement, and the agency later removed him from the list and argued that the lawsuit was moot and should be dismissed.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the court, said the government has not demonstrated that Fikre's case is moot but it may be able to do so in the future.

"As the case unfolds, the complaint’s allegations will be tested rather than taken as true, and different facts may emerge that may call for a different conclusion," he wrote.

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