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ISCR Case 25-00900 — CASE

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ISCR Case 25-00900

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/4/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Erin C. Hogan
Government Counsel: Cassie L. Ford
Applicant's Counsel: Aidan P. Connor
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 30-year-old employee of a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor who had previously served in the U.S. Air Force. The Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency (DCSA) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline H, Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse, and Guideline E, Personal Conduct. The core allegations included the applicant's use of marijuana while holding a security clearance and his failure to disclose this drug use during a polygraph examination, as well as withholding information about a foreign national contact.
The applicant admitted to using marijuana two to three times a week from January to April 2023, acknowledging that it was poor judgment given his security clearance. He cited personal stressors, including family health issues, as contributing factors to his drug use. He also admitted to not disclosing his marijuana use during an earlier polygraph due to fear of repercussions. However, he later revealed this information in a subsequent polygraph and expressed regret for his actions. The applicant provided evidence of his commitment to abstain from drug use and demonstrated positive character references from colleagues.
The administrative judge ruled that the applicant did not mitigate the security concerns related to drug involvement but did mitigate those concerning personal conduct. The judge concluded that the applicant's past drug use while holding a security clearance was a significant concern for national security, leading to the denial of his eligibility for access to classified information. The decision emphasized the importance of trust and the applicant's responsibility to maintain that trust in his role.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · For Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00900

deniedMar 4, 2026· Hon. Erin C. Hogan· hearing

Summary

A 30-year-old DOD contractor and former Air Force member was denied a security clearance under Guideline E (Personal Conduct) and Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The Statement of Reasons included three allegations: the applicant purchased and used marijuana from January to April 2023 while holding a sensitive position, deliberately withheld material facts about drug use during a polygraph on February 22, 2023, and deliberately omitted a romantic relationship with a foreign national in 2022 during security processing.

Disqualifying conditions under Guideline H were raised, specifically regarding drug involvement. While the applicant mitigated concerns under Guideline E by acknowledging past actions and taking corrective steps, the judge found the drug use to be a significant issue.

The denial was primarily based on the applicant's admitted marijuana use while holding a sensitive position, which violated federal law and occurred despite his awareness of the prohibition against such behavior for clearance holders. The applicant's explanation of stress as a reason for drug use did not mitigate the security concerns, leading to the denial of his clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana while holding a sensitive position, which is a violation of federal law.
The applicant's drug use occurred after he was aware of the prohibition against such behavior while possessing a security clearance.
The applicant's claims of stress as a reason for drug use did not mitigate the security concerns raised by his actions.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(f)raisedIllegal Drug Use While Granted Access to Classified Information

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment of Drug Involvement and Actions Taken to Overcome the ProblemThe applicant acknowledged his drug use and provided a statement of intent to abstain from future drug involvement.

Key Rule Quoted

“"the clearly consistent standard indicates that security determinations should err, if they must, on the side of denials."”
— Department of the Navy v. Egan, 484 U.S. 518, 531 (1988)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 18, 2025
Answer filedSep 25, 2025Applicant elected a hearing.
Hearing heldJan 27, 2026
Decision dateMar 4, 2026

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Mitigation of Personal Conduct Concerns Under Guideline E
Impact of Illegal 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 deliberately withheld material facts during a polygraph examination and during security processing. However, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant on both allegations, indicating that the concerns regarding personal conduct were not sufficient to disqualify him from holding a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant deliberately withheld material facts during a polygraph examination administered by a government agency on February 22, 2023, when he failed to disclose his drug use.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	—
2.b	Applicant deliberately omitted or withheld material facts from a government agency during security processing when he failed to disclose a foreign national contact with whom he had a romantic relationship in 2022.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	—	Admitted	—	—	—

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 purchased and used marijuana while holding a sensitive position, which raised significant security concerns. The applicant admitted to the allegations but did not provide sufficient mitigation to overcome the disqualifying conditions. The outcome was a denial of eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant purchased and used marijuana with varying frequency from about January 2023 to about April 2023, while holding a sensitive position, i.e. one that requires a security clearance.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Frequent	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia (f) any illegal drug use while holding a clearance or sensitive position	—	Claimed Other

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.