The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is under scrutiny after admitting to a federal judge that it did not understand Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in 2023 included text messages. This admission comes despite the SEC imposing over $600 million in fines in 2024 on firms for failing to maintain text records as per regulatory requirements. The discrepancy has raised concerns about the SEC's adherence to its own record-keeping standards and has led to calls for judicial intervention to restore public trust in the agency. The situation highlights ongoing challenges in regulatory compliance and transparency within federal agencies.