The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS) in federal court, alleging the proxy advisory giant has refused to hand over documents demanded by a subpoena issued more than four months ago. The case was filed on September 4, 2026, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
ISS is one of two dominant proxy advisory firms, alongside Glass Lewis, that shape how institutional shareholders weigh in on everything from executive pay packages to board elections.
What the SEC is after
The dispute traces back to March 2026, when the SEC’s Division of Examinations launched a review of ISS’s operations. The focus: whether the firm’s proxy recommendations and voting activities comply with federal securities laws. ISS is registered as an investment adviser, which puts it squarely within the SEC’s regulatory jurisdiction.
On July 21, 2026, the SEC formalized its request by issuing an administrative subpoena demanding relevant documents. According to the SEC’s filing, ISS has “unreasonably refused” to produce those documents despite multiple attempts to resolve the matter without litigation.
