• Former President Biden has filed a lawsuit against the DOJ to block audio release.
• The case centers on interviews for Biden's memoir amid a special counsel investigation.
• Biden's lawyers argue the release violates his right to privacy.
• The DOJ aimed to release the files to Congress and the Heritage Foundation.
• The investigation concluded without criminal charges against Biden.

Former Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden has initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking to prohibit the release of audio recordings and transcripts from interviews he had with his biographer, Mark Zwonitzer, during 2016 and 2017. This lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Washington D.C., aims to stop the scheduled release of materials related to a special counsel investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents, which was set for June 15, according to Reuters, CBS News, India Times, and NPR.

The lawsuit highlights Biden's legal team’s argument that releasing the recordings would violate his right to privacy, stating, “Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home.” His attorneys contend that the DOJ, having obtained these materials through a criminal investigation, holds a significant responsibility to protect them from public disclosure, as mentioned in Reuters and India Times.

These audio recordings and transcripts were part of Biden's writing process for his 2017 memoir, "Promise Me, Dad," and were scrutinized by Special Counsel Robert Hur during his investigation into Biden's retention of classified documents from his tenure as vice president and senator. Hur's report stated that while Biden had “willfully retained” classified materials, there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against him, as noted by CBS News and NPR.

The controversy over the disclosure of these recordings has spurred legal disputes and partisan divides, with Republicans alleging favoritism in the DOJ's treatment of Biden compared to former President Donald Trump, who faced a separate investigation into his retention of classified documents. Democrats, however, emphasize Biden's cooperation with investigators, contrasting it with Trump's approach, according to CBS News, India Times, and NPR.