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ISCR Case 25-00025 — CASE

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ISCR Case 25-00025

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date2/6/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Charles C. Hale
Government Counsel: Brittany C. M. White
Case Summary
Applicant was a 29-year-old systems analyst employed by a federal contractor, seeking a security clearance after previously holding one since 2019. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing concerns under Guidelines H (drug involvement and substance misuse) and E (personal conduct). The core allegations included the applicant's admission of marijuana use while holding a security clearance in early 2021 and failure to disclose a hospitalization for a mental health condition on her security clearance application.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to using marijuana while in a sensitive position and acknowledged discrepancies in her previous statements regarding her drug use and mental health hospitalization. She provided evidence of a negative drug test and expressed regret for her past actions, asserting that her marijuana use was infrequent and had ceased. However, she also admitted to additional marijuana use in 2024 and acknowledged her lack of transparency during the investigation.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that she did not sufficiently mitigate the security concerns raised. The judge emphasized the importance of trust and reliability for individuals with access to classified information, noting that the applicant's admissions and past behavior raised significant doubts about her current reliability and judgment. Consequently, the applicant's eligibility for access to classified information was denied.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00025

deniedFeb 6, 2026· Hon. Charles C. Hale· hearing

Summary

A 29-year-old systems analyst was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct) and Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The applicant admitted to using marijuana in early 2021 while already holding a security clearance, which violated federal drug laws. This drug involvement was a primary disqualifying condition.

Additionally, the applicant failed to disclose both her mental health hospitalization and her marijuana use on her 2024 Security Clearance Application (SCA). This lack of candor and reliability, specifically the failure to disclose relevant information, raised significant questions about her trustworthiness, falling under personal conduct concerns.

While mitigating conditions were considered, the judge ultimately found that the admitted marijuana use while holding a clearance and the failure to disclose critical information on her application were sufficient to deny her eligibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana while holding a security clearance, which violated federal drug laws.
She failed to disclose her mental health hospitalization and marijuana use on her security clearance application, demonstrating a lack of candor and reliability.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 24raisedDrug Involvement and Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 15raisedPersonal Conduct

Mitigating

AG ¶ 17(a)appliedPrompt, Good-faith Efforts to Correct OmissionsThe applicant admitted to her mental health hospitalization before being confronted.
AG ¶ 17(c)rejectedMinor or Infrequent Conduct Unlikely to RecurInsufficient time has passed since her lies in 2024 to show this behavior is unlikely to recur.

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 21, 2025
Answer filedMay 12, 2025
Hearing heldDec 18, 2025Hearing rescheduled due to federal government shutdown.
Decision dateFeb 6, 2026

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Lack of Candor in Security Clearance Application Under Guideline E
Impact of Recent Drug Use on Security Clearance Eligibility.

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant failed to disclose her hospitalization for a mental-health condition and her marijuana use on her 2024 SCA. The judge ruled against the applicant for the marijuana use allegation, while finding for the applicant regarding the mental-health hospitalization, citing mitigating factors for the latter. Overall, the applicant's security clearance was denied due to concerns about her judgment and reliability.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant failed to disclose her hospitalization for a mental-health condition on her 2024 SCA.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATESELF-CORRECTED	Mental Health	Admitted	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	(a) prompt, good-faith correction before being confronted	Claimed Corrected Falsification Promptly
2.b	Applicant failed to disclose her marijuana use on her 2024 SCA.	Against Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Other	Admitted	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline E). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline H (Drug Involvement) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana while holding a security clearance in early 2021, which raised significant concerns regarding her judgment and reliability. The application for clearance was denied based on this conduct, which was deemed inconsistent with the standards required for cleared personnel.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana while holding a security clearance in about January or February 2021.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline H). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.