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.
Sanders v. FBI, No. 23-589, 2024 WL 230307 (W.D. Wis. Jan. 22, 2024) (Peterson, J.)
Sanders v. FBI, No. 23-589, 2024 WL 230307 (W.D. Wis. Jan. 22, 2024) (Peterson, J.)
Re: Request for certain records
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint without prejudice
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court holds that “[plaintiff’s] amended complaint has several problems.” “First, [plaintiff] named three federal employees as defendants.” “But FOIA . . . appl[ies]...
Bonner v. FBI, No. 21-2166, 2024 WL 216705 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 19, 2024) (Engelmayer, J.)
Bonner v. FBI, No. 21-2166, 2024 WL 216705 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 19, 2024) (Engelmayer, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning detention of Palestinian citizen in wake of September 11, 2001 and still held today at Guantanamo Bay
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for reconsideration; granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Ex...
Hernandez v. DOJ, No. 15-944, 2024 WL 217747 (D.D.C. Jan. 19, 2024) (Cobb, J.)
Hernandez v. DOJ, No. 15-944, 2024 WL 217747 (D.D.C. Jan. 19, 2024) (Cobb, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s prosecution
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The court relates that “[plaintiff] only asks this Court to...
Gun Owners of Am., Inc. v. FBI, No. 22-3379, 2024 WL 195829 (D.D.C. Jan. 18, 2024) (Boasberg, C. J.)
Gun Owners of Am., Inc. v. FBI, No. 22-3379, 2024 WL 195829 (D.D.C. Jan. 18, 2024) (Boasberg, C. J.)
Re: Request for surveillance video taken by the FBI during the civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 7, Threshold: The court finds that, “[t]o start, because the Bureau is a criminal law-enforcement...
Buzzfeed, Inc. v. DOJ, No. 18-1556, 2024 WL 195751 (D.D.C. Jan. 18, 2024) (Chutkan, J.)
Buzzfeed, Inc. v. DOJ, No. 18-1556, 2024 WL 195751 (D.D.C. Jan. 18, 2024) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning acquisition and use of lethal injection drugs
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for partial reconsideration
- Litigation Considerations, Waiver of Exemptions in Litigation & “Reasonably Segregable” Requirements: “The court erred in ordering supplemental...
Bloomberg LP v. FTC, No. 22-3309, 2024 WL 165989 (D.D.C. Jan. 16, 2024) (Contreras, J.)
Bloomberg LP v. FTC, No. 22-3309, 2024 WL 165989 (D.D.C. Jan. 16, 2024) (Contreras, J.)
Re: Request for all “‘pre-consummation warning letters,’” or “‘close at your own peril’” letters, which are letters sent regarding closing transitions above a certain dollar amount while FTC investigation is still pending, issued by the agency since July 2021
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in...
Child.’s Health Def. v. FDA, No. 23-220, 2024 WL 147851 (D.D.C. Jan. 12, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Child.’s Health Def. v. FDA, No. 23-220, 2024 WL 147851 (D.D.C. Jan. 12, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion to stay
- Litigation Considerations, “Open America” Stays of Proceedings: The court relates that...
Kayll v. DHS, No. 22-2830, 2024 WL 81231 (D.D.C. Jan. 8, 2024) (Bates, J.)
Kayll v. DHS, No. 22-2830, 2024 WL 81231 (D.D.C. Jan. 8, 2024) (Bates, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning determination that plaintiff is “‘inadmissible’” to enter the United States
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, “Agency Records”: The court relates that “[t]he issue at...
Freedom Coal. of Doctors for Choice v. CDC, No. 23-102, 2024 WL 69084 (N.D. Tex. Jan. 5, 2024) (Kacsmaryk, J.)
Freedom Coal. of Doctors for Choice v. CDC, No. 23-102, 2024 WL 69084 (N.D. Tex. Jan. 5, 2024) (Kacsmaryk, J.)
Re: Request for 7.8 million free-text responses to COVID vaccine safety monitoring program “V-safe” collection
Disposition: Granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; denying defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Proper FOIA Requests: Th...
Project for Priv. & Surveillance Accountability v. NSA, No. 22-1812, 2024 WL 68244 (D.D.C. Jan. 5, 2024) (Contreras, J.)
Project for Priv. & Surveillance Accountability v. NSA, No. 22-1812, 2024 WL 68244 (D.D.C. Jan. 5, 2024) (Contreras, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning intelligence community’s acquisition or use of commercially available information regarding specific current and former members of Congress
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment...