Court Decisions Overview
Each year the federal courts issue hundreds of decisions in FOIA cases, addressing all aspects of the law. These decisions shape the way the law is interpreted and applied by the many attorneys and access professionals across the government who handle FOIA requests, administrative appeals, and litigation. To aid those professionals, and to facilitate greater understanding of the FOIA overall, OIP posts summaries of FOIA decisions to this website.
Although we have designed these summaries to reflect the key aspects of each decision, by their nature these are summaries only, and such things as internal citations and quotations have been omitted. Our goal is to provide readers with an overview of the cases as they are decided during the year, but for a complete understanding of any given case readers are, of course, encouraged to read it in its entirety.
Using the Court Decisions Page
This website includes decisions decided since January 2013. Summaries of decisions decided between May 2009 and December 2012 are available in the Court Decisions Archive. All decisions are presented chronologically, based on the date of issuance, with the most recent decision appearing first. Each decision is tagged topically with the relevant exemption or procedural consideration addressed.
You can view all decisions tagged with a particular topic or court by using the “Topic” drop down menu. For example, to see all cases where Exemption 5 is addressed, select “Exemption 5.”
You can search through each decision summary for keywords or phrases using the “Keyword Search” feature. For example, to see all cases with a particular term, such as “e-mail” or “affirming,” you can type in the term or phrase to retrieve all court decision summaries where it appears. You can also use this feature to locate decisions from a particular court by searching for the court acronym, such as “D.C. Cir” for all decisions from the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Brodsky v. FBI, No. 22-06462, 2024 WL 3848570 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 16, 2024) (Coleman, J.)
Brodsky v. FBI, No. 22-06462, 2024 WL 3848570 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 16, 2024) (Coleman, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying as moot plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, In Camera Inspection & Vaughn Index/Declaration: “Having reviewed the declarations and documents in...
Organized Cmtys. Against Deportations v. ICE, No. 21-2519, 2024 WL 3848549 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 16, 2024) (Blakey, J.)
Organized Cmtys. Against Deportations v. ICE, No. 21-2519, 2024 WL 3848549 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 16, 2024) (Blakey, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning “Citizens Academy” programs
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiffs’ cross-motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 6: The court holds that “ICE properly invoked Exemption 6 to withhold and redact...
Pomares v. VA, No. 23-55205, 2024 WL 3765300 (9th Cir. Aug. 13, 2024) (Forrest, J.)
Pomares v. VA, No. 23-55205, 2024 WL 3765300 (9th Cir. Aug. 13, 2024) (Forrest, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning alleged corruption
Disposition: Affirming in part, reversing in part, and remanding district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Searching for Responsive Records; Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: “[The Court...
Sullivan v. Town of Freeport, No. 24-00068, 2024 WL 3792359 (D. Me. Aug. 13, 2024) (Woodcock, Jr., J.)
Sullivan v. Town of Freeport, No. 24-00068, 2024 WL 3792359 (D. Me. Aug. 13, 2024) (Woodcock, Jr., J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s “vague allegations” concerning the Freedom of Information Act
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion to dismiss
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “‘[t]he FOIA . . . by its own terms, applies only to federal executive branch...
Davison v. Sidders, No. 24-00066, 2024 WL 3822843 (D. Alaska Aug. 13, 2024) (Gleason, J.)
Davison v. Sidders, No. 24-00066, 2024 WL 3822843 (D. Alaska Aug. 13, 2024) (Gleason, J.)
Re: Request for audio and video concerning local accident
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “FOIA does not provide access to records held by state or local government agencies.” “Because Plaintiff seeks...
Hum. Rts. Def. Ctr. v. DOJ, No. 20-00674, 2024 WL 3744413 (W.D. Wash. Aug. 9, 2024) (Chun. J.)
Hum. Rts. Def. Ctr. v. DOJ, No. 20-00674, 2024 WL 3744413 (W.D. Wash. Aug. 9, 2024) (Chun. J.)
Re: Request for records of claims against DEA that DEA resolved through payment of settlement or judgment
Disposition: Denying defendants’ motion to alter or amend judgment or for relief from the judgment
- Litigation Considerations; Exemption 6: The court relates that “[t]he DEA – relying on...
Andrade v. U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. 24-00248, 2024 WL 3744414 (S.D. Tex. Aug. 8, 2024) (Tipton, J.)
Andrade v. U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. 24-00248, 2024 WL 3744414 (S.D. Tex. Aug. 8, 2024) (Tipton, J.)
Re: Request for two sets of third-party summonses
Disposition: Denying plaintiffs’ request for records
- Litigation Considerations, Standing: The court relates that plaintiffs rely on the FOIA to “contend that they ‘have the right to copies of’ all records obtained by the IRS.” The...
Reclaim the Records v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 23-1471, 2024 WL 3728979 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 7, 2024) (Furman, J.)
Reclaim the Records v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 23-1471, 2024 WL 3728979 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 7, 2024) (Furman, J.)
Re: Request for “‘copy of the index to all birth and death records held by the State Department for the Panama Canal Zone [(“PCZ”)]’”
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations...
United States v. Bennett, No. 90-305, 2024 WL 3673721 (M.D. Fla. Aug. 6, 2024) (Edwards Honeywell, J.)
United States v. Bennett, No. 90-305, 2024 WL 3673721 (M.D. Fla. Aug. 6, 2024) (Edwards Honeywell, J.)
Re: Request to court for access to records concerning plaintiff’s criminal case
Disposition: Denying criminal defendant’s motion
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court finds that “although Defendant cites the [FOIA], he fails to assert any facts alleging a...
Am. Small Bus. League v. SBA, No. 20-04619, 2024 WL 3678001 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 6, 2024) (Chesney, J.)
Am. Small Bus. League v. SBA, No. 20-04619, 2024 WL 3678001 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 6, 2024) (Chesney, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning SBA’s administration of Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”)
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees and costs; awarding plaintiff $203,596.40 in fees and $2,691.40 in costs
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: First...