K. v. Arteta

Nature of the Document

The provided text is a letter-motion from counsel for M.K., not a judicial opinion or order. It asks the court to allow a letter containing M.K.’s full name to be filed under seal while the court considers M.K.’s pending request to proceed under a pseudonym.

Background

According to the letter, M.K. filed a petition for review of his detention under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 on November 26, 2025. He also filed a motion for permission to proceed under a pseudonym. The letter states that the petition and motion were served on the respondents and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on December 1, 2025. Counsel had previously provided M.K.’s full name and identification number to an Assistant United States Attorney.

Request to Seal

Counsel asks that access to the letter containing M.K.’s full name be limited to M.K.’s counsel, the respondents’ counsel, and the court. The letter cites the public’s qualified First Amendment right to access judicial proceedings and documents, while arguing that sealing is justified when necessary to protect a more important interest and is narrowly tailored.

Counsel argues that M.K.’s privacy and safety interests outweigh the public interest in access during the court’s consideration of the pseudonym request. The letter states that the petition describes M.K.’s asylum application and fear of persecution in Uzbekistan, and that revealing his name and asylum application could increase the risk of violence or death if he were removed there. It also states that the petition contains highly sensitive information about his mental health and trauma history.

Disposition

The excerpt contains M.K.’s request but no ruling by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. It does not state whether the court granted, denied, or otherwise resolved the request to seal or the motion to proceed under a pseudonym.