Medani order is out – great win

Hi Brit, I understand that the Ivanov order itself did not specify any priority. However, an Ivanov plaintiff shared an update from their lawyers saying that they told government counsel that Ivanov plaintiffs are “NOT included in Medani and have specific priority over the generalized Medani order,” and that they are discussing a compliance plan with the government.

So it seems the Ivanov attorneys are actively asking the government to give their plaintiffs priority in receiving relief, even though the court order itself does not expressly grant such priority.

If the government agrees to this operationally, how could this affect DV-2026 non-plaintiffs covered by the Medani class? For example, could an Ivanov plaintiff actually be processed ahead of an already-interviewed Medani class member solely because of this separate Ivanov litigation? Or would the government still be expected to process Medani class members in parallel rather than creating a priority queue for Ivanov plaintiffs?

I am a non-plaintiff DV-2026 selectee who was interviewed and, as far as I understand, was likely among the first two EU cases affected by the issuance pause. My case was placed in 221(g) because of the DV issuance pause, and my medical examination has now expired.

Given that there are only a limited number of Ivanov plaintiffs at each consulate, I am wondering how significant this potential priority could realistically be for someone in my situation. In particular, could the separate Ivanov litigation materially delay the processing of an already-interviewed Medani class member like me, or would the practical impact likely be limited?