A federal judge in Washington, D.C., is currently reviewing a sensitive request from the Trump administration to unseal sealed FBI surveillance records related to Martin Luther King Jr. These files, held under a court-ordered seal since 1977, document the FBI’s wiretapping and monitoring of King and his associates during the 1960s.
A Delicate and Historic Matter
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon emphasized the seriousness of the case during a recent court hearing, noting the need to proceed cautiously. The Justice Department is asking to lift the seal on some of the documents two years ahead of their scheduled public release in January 2027. However, the administration claims it is only seeking files related to King’s assassination, not personal or privileged material.
“This is delicate stuff,” Judge Leon stated. “We’re going to go slowly. Little steps.”
King Family and SCLC Oppose the Release
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and King’s family have made clear their objections. They argue that the records, if made public, would invade the civil rights leader’s privacy and damage his legacy. Bernice King, his youngest daughter, strongly opposed any release in her court filing, stating that her father was a private citizen and deserved his right to privacy.
SCLC attorney Sumayya Saleh described the FBI’s surveillance as an example of “government overreach” and said that unsealing these files would serve no public interest.
The Origin of the Files
The FBI’s surveillance, conducted between 1963 and 1968, included wiretaps at King’s home, SCLC offices, and even hotel rooms. Following a lawsuit filed in 1976, a court ordered the FBI in 1977 to transfer the records to the National Archives, sealed for 50 years.
The Justice Department insists it is not interested in personal materials and simply wants to allow Attorney General Pam Bondi to review any records related to the civil rights leader’s assassination under President Trump’s order for greater transparency.
What’s Next?
Judge Leon has not yet made a final decision. He requested an inventory of the sealed records before determining whether any can be reviewed for release. The court will continue to assess whether any public benefit outweighs the privacy concerns of King’s family.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. The effort to unseal these records comes alongside Trump’s broader executive order to declassify documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
As the case moves forward, the spotlight remains on the balance between public transparency and the protection of personal legacy.