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ISCR Case 25-00269 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 25-00269

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/20/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeADP POSITION
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Eric H. Borgstrom
Government Counsel: Tovah A. Minster
Case Summary
The applicant in this case sought a trustworthiness determination for a public trust position within the Department of Defense. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons citing concerns under Guideline H, which pertains to drug involvement and substance misuse. The core allegations included the applicant's admission to almost daily marijuana use from December 2016 to June 2024, despite acknowledging that such use was illegal under federal law.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the allegations of drug use and provided some mitigating factors, including his cessation of marijuana use in February 2025 and participation in a recovery group. He testified about his past usage patterns and the stressors that contributed to his substance use. Although he had tested negative for drugs in December 2025 and expressed a commitment to abstain from marijuana, he had not consistently attended recovery meetings since October 2025.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not sufficiently mitigate the trustworthiness concerns related to his past drug involvement. The judge emphasized the importance of compliance with federal laws and the need for a demonstrated commitment to abstaining from illegal substance use, which the applicant had not fully established. Consequently, the applicant's eligibility for a public trust position was denied.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00269

deniedJan 20, 2026· Hon. Eric H. Borgstrom· hearing

Summary

A 35-year-old senior network engineer was denied eligibility for a public trust position under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to concerns regarding his history of marijuana use and substance misuse. The Statement of Reasons alleged that the applicant had not mitigated trustworthiness concerns arising from this involvement.

Disqualifying conditions under AG ¶ 25(a) and AG ¶ 25(c) were raised, acknowledging the applicant's lengthy history of marijuana use. While mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 26(a) and AG ¶ 26(b) were applied, indicating some efforts toward rehabilitation, these were ultimately insufficient.

The administrative judge determined that the applicant had not established a sufficient pattern of abstinence from drug use. A critical factor in the denial was the applicant's ongoing association with a partner who uses marijuana, which further undermined the efforts to mitigate the trustworthiness concerns. Consequently, the applicant's request for eligibility was denied.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant had a lengthy history of marijuana use, which raised significant trustworthiness concerns.
The applicant's ongoing association with a partner who uses marijuana was a critical factor in the decision.
The applicant did not establish a sufficient pattern of abstinence from drug use.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)rejectedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was so Infrequent, or Happened Under Such Circumstances That It Is Unlikely to RecurThe applicant's history of frequent marijuana use was recent and significant.
AG ¶ 26(b)rejectedAcknowledges Drug Involvement and Provides Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome This ProblemThe applicant's efforts towards rehabilitation were insufficient to mitigate the concerns.

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJun 12, 2025
Answer filedJul 14, 2025
Hearing heldDec 15, 2025via video teleconference
Decision dateJan 20, 2026

Cite For

Trustworthiness Concerns Related to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Insufficient Pattern of Abstinence as a Basis for Denial
Impact of Ongoing Associations with Drug Users on Eligibility Determinations

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 H (Drug Involvement) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant did not mitigate trustworthiness concerns related to his drug involvement and substance misuse. The applicant admitted to frequent marijuana use and did not demonstrate sufficient evidence of rehabilitation or abstinence to overcome the concerns. The outcome of the case was a denial of eligibility for a public trust position.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant did not mitigate the trustworthiness concerns arising from his drug involvement and substance misuse.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia	—	—

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.