Joe Biden disputes a July appeals court ruling that rejected his bid to block the release of audio recordings from his memoir interviews, court filings and news reports show.
The D.C. Circuit on July 21, 2026, declined Biden’s request to stop the Justice Department from disclosing tapes and transcripts of interviews he gave to a memoir ghostwriter, according to reporting by PBS and The New York Times.
The recordings — made in 2016 and 2017 during sessions for a memoir project — were collected by the Justice Department under an agreement limiting their use to a special counsel probe, the DOJ wrote in court filings reviewed by Politico and the department’s public docket.
A federal judge in June had cleared the way for the DOJ to turn redacted transcripts and audio over to the conservative Heritage Foundation, but the release was put on hold while Biden appealed, Politico and USA Today reported.
After the appeals court decision, Biden’s legal team continued to challenge the disclosure in filings that argue the tapes are private; PBS and NBC News reported Biden maintained the recordings should remain shielded from public release.
The Heritage Foundation and congressional committees had sought the material under FOIA and oversight requests, and the appeals panel said the public interest weighed in favor of disclosure, according to the court opinion posted on the D.C. Circuit media site and coverage in The Hill.
Reporting by The New York Times and USA Today says the audio totals roughly three hours and that Biden at times spoke about his experiences as a senator and about his son; the DOJ docket and news stories identify the interviews as the source material at issue.
Why it matters: the dispute centers on how material gathered under a limited-use agreement for a special investigation can lawfully be shared with outside groups and Congress, a legal mechanism explained in the Justice Department’s court filing and summarized by Politico.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour — reported the appeals court rejected Biden’s bid and summarized the ruling.
- The New York Times — provided reporting on the appeals court decision and the content of released audio.
- Politico — published the DOJ filing details that the recordings came from 2016–17 and were obtained under a special-counsel agreement.
- USA Today — covered the judge’s June order allowing release to the Heritage Foundation and subsequent developments.
- The Hill — reported on the judge’s June decision and the appeals process.
