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.
N.Y. Times Co. v. DOJ, No. 22-2232, 2024 WL 1109260 (2d Cir. Mar. 14, 2024) (per curiam)
N.Y. Times Co. v. DOJ, No. 22-2232, 2024 WL 1109260 (2d Cir. Mar. 14, 2024) (per curiam)
Re: Request for report issued by independent monitor tasked with overseeing Intervenor Volkswagen AG’s (“VW”) compliance with plea agreement that it entered into with DOJ following the discovery of VW’s scheme to evade emissions requirements
Disposition: Affirming district court’s judgment
- Exemption...
Inst. for Energy Rsch. v. FERC, No. 22-3414, 2024 WL 1091791 (D.D.C. Mar. 13, 2024) (Cooper, J.)
Inst. for Energy Rsch. v. FERC, No. 22-3414, 2024 WL 1091791 (D.D.C. Mar. 13, 2024) (Cooper, J.)
Re: Request for text messages from three FERC employees
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, “Agency Records” & Searching for Responsive Records: The court relates that “[plaintiff] claims FERC misconstrued its...
Scott v. Haynes, No. 23-04115, 2024 WL 1049485 (D.S.D. Mar. 11, 2024) (Lange, C. J.)
Scott v. Haynes, No. 23-04115, 2024 WL 1049485 (D.S.D. Mar. 11, 2024) (Lange, C. J.)
Re: Request for plaintiff’s medical discharge summary
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s claim with prejudice
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court relates that “[plaintiff] does not seek information from a federal agency; he requested a copy of his medical discharge summary...
Delgado v. DOJ, No. 23-0089, 2024 WL 1071035 (D.D.C. Mar. 11, 2024) (Mehta, J.)
Delgado v. DOJ, No. 23-0089, 2024 WL 1071035 (D.D.C. Mar. 11, 2024) (Mehta, J.)
Re: Request for documentation showing that ATF made employer and employee pension contributions on plaintiff’s behalf as required by settlement agreement
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; granting defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Vaughn Inde...
Wash. Law.s’ Comm. for C.R. & Urb. Affs. v. DOJ, No. 23-1328, 2024 WL 1050498 (D.D.C. Mar. 10, 2024) (Howell, J.)
Wash. Law.s’ Comm. for C.R. & Urb. Affs. v. DOJ, No. 23-1328, 2024 WL 1050498 (D.D.C. Mar. 10, 2024) (Howell, J.)
Re: Alleged delays by defendant in responding to several of plaintiff’s FOIA requests
Disposition: Granting defendants motion for partial summary judgment as to plaintiff’s policy or practice claim; granting defendant’s motion to dismiss as conceded; severing several of...
Mar. Documentation Ctr. Corp. v. U.S. Coast Guard, No. 22-55696, 2024 WL 1007503 (9th Cir. Mar. 8, 2024) (per curiam)
Mar. Documentation Ctr. Corp. v. U.S. Coast Guard, No. 22-55696, 2024 WL 1007503 (9th Cir. Mar. 8, 2024) (per curiam)
Re: Request for personally identifiable information of owners of vessels documented with the Coast Guard
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 6: The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit holds that “[t]he...
Jordan v. DEA, No. 22-2195, 2024 WL 1076742 (D.D.C. Mar. 8, 2024) (Boasberg, J.)
Jordan v. DEA, No. 22-2195, 2024 WL 1076742 (D.D.C. Mar. 8, 2024) (Boasberg, J.)
Re: Request for names of DEA agents involved in plaintiff’s criminal case
Disposition: Granting defendant’s renewed motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: The court relates that, following an “agree[ment] to conduct a search for the December 28, 2016, administrative...
Stevens v. Broad. Bd. of Governors, No. 18-5391, 2024 WL 1014076 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 8, 2024) (Rowland, J.)
Stevens v. Broad. Bd. of Governors, No. 18-5391, 2024 WL 1014076 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 8, 2024) (Rowland, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning “‘policies, protocols, and practices for assessing the age of those in the custody of HHS or ICE’”
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: “Because [plaintiff] has not met the threshold burden that she...
WP Co. LLC v. CIA, No. 22-01138, 2024 WL 983328 (D.D.C. Mar. 7, 2024) (Contreras, J.)
WP Co. LLC v. CIA, No. 22-01138, 2024 WL 983328 (D.D.C. Mar. 7, 2024) (Contreras, J.)
Re: Request for 56 documents known as “CIA Histories,” records that examine a range of subjects related to U.S. foreign relations and intelligence operations from 1940s through 1970s
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in...
Scarlett v. OIG, No. 21-819, 2024 WL 960998 (D.D.C. Mar. 6, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Scarlett v. OIG, No. 21-819, 2024 WL 960998 (D.D.C. Mar. 6, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning complaint against plaintiff
Disposition: Granting defendant’s renewed motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: “The Court . . . concludes that the agency has demonstrated that it made a ‘good faith effort to conduct a search for the requested...