Judicial Watch: mission, leadership and finances
Washington watchdog founded in 1994 that uses lawsuits and open-records requests to investigate government.
Organization
| Founded | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Washington, DC |
| EIN | 52-1885088 |
| Tax status | 501(c)(3) |
| Website | judicialwatch.org |
Finances (IRS Form 990)
| Total revenue | $104.3 million |
|---|---|
| Total expenses | $53.2 million |
| Total assets | $412.6 million |
| Tax year | 2023 |
What it does
Judicial Watch is a conservative government watchdog. It files FOIA requests and lawsuits to obtain records, and publishes the documents it receives.
Judicial Watch is listed here in the category "Legal". A listing on 4conservative.com describes an organization; it is not an endorsement of it or of its positions.
History
Larry Klayman founded it in 1994. Tom Fitton has been its president.
Judicial Watch is a legal organization. It is headquartered in Washington, DC. Its IRS tax status is 501(c)(3). Like other organizations in this collection, it is described here from its own published material and from public records, and the facts on this page are limited to what those sources state.
Leadership and funding
It is funded by donations and files a Form 990, shown here.
The IRS figures on this page come from the latest Form 990 filing that ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer lists for the organization, for tax year 2023: total revenue of $104.3 million, total expenses of $53.2 million and total assets of $412.6 million at year end. ProPublica lists the filer as Judicial Watch Inc. The figures describe a single tax year and can differ sharply from year to year; check the filing itself and the organization's own site for the current picture.
Where it stands
It describes itself as promoting transparency and integrity in government.
These summaries reflect the organization's own stated mission and publicly known activities as of the date below; they are neutral descriptions, not evaluations. Related organizations on this site include Landmark Legal Foundation, Cause of Action Institute, America First Legal.
Sources
Profile last reviewed November 8, 2026