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.
Sherven v. CIA, No. 23-466, 2023 WL 8649897 (W.D. Wis. Dec. 14, 2023) (Peterson, J.)
Sherven v. CIA, No. 23-466, 2023 WL 8649897 (W.D. Wis. Dec. 14, 2023) (Peterson, J.)
Re: Request for “copies of all documents, video and audio recordings, emails and text messages involved in every CIA operation to cover up their illegal activities and hide them from the general public”
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint with prejudice
- Procedural Requirements, Proper FOIA...
Ulis v. FBI, No. 23-636, 2023 WL 8620632 (D.D.C. Dec. 13, 2023) (Cobb, J.)
Ulis v. FBI, No. 23-636, 2023 WL 8620632 (D.D.C. Dec. 13, 2023) (Cobb, J.)
Re: Request for clip-on necktie
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Procedural Requirements, “Agency Records”: The court relates that, “as Defendants point out in their motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, [plaintiff] is not seeking anything that could even arguably be considered an...
Risenhoover v. Blinken, No. 21-2503, 2023 WL 8600563 (D.D.C. Dec. 12, 2023) (Howell, J.)
Risenhoover v. Blinken, No. 21-2503, 2023 WL 8600563 (D.D.C. Dec. 12, 2023) (Howell, J.)
Re: Unclear request for records
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The court relates that “Defendant seeks dismissal of the complaint on grounds of res judicata due to the prior judgment in [Risenhoover v. U.S...
Nagdy v. DOJ, No. 22-0345, 2023 WL 8532403 (W.D. Ky. Dec. 8, 2023) (Simpson III, J.)
Nagdy v. DOJ, No. 22-0345, 2023 WL 8532403 (W.D. Ky. Dec. 8, 2023) (Simpson III, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The court relates that “the United States has attacked the factual basis for Plaintiff’s FOIA claim by asserting and submitting evidence...
Kuzma v. DOJ, No. 19-597, 2023 WL 8455121 (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 6, 2023) (Arcara, J.)
Kuzma v. DOJ, No. 19-597, 2023 WL 8455121 (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 6, 2023) (Arcara, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning civil rights activist
Disposition: Adopting magistrate judge’s grant in part and denial in part of defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 3; Exemption 6; Exemption 7(C); Exemption 7(D); Exemption 7(E): The court holds that “Defendant’s motion for summary judgment...
Chohan v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 22-2459, 2023 WL 8433224 (D.D.C. Dec. 5, 2023) (Lamberth, J.)
Chohan v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 22-2459, 2023 WL 8433224 (D.D.C. Dec. 5, 2023) (Lamberth, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s student visa
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 3: The court relates that defendant relies on “Section 222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) [which] makes confidential ‘[t]he records of the...
Torres v. DOJ, No. 23-4810, 2023 WL 8452401 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 5, 2023) (Swain, C.J.)
Torres v. DOJ, No. 23-4810, 2023 WL 8452401 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 5, 2023) (Swain, C.J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning plaintiff and his family
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s consolidated actions
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court finds that “Plaintiff's allegations are insufficient to show that the FBI improperly withheld agency records.” “The Court therefore...
Cohen v. FAA, No. 23-0913, 2023 WL 8439557 (S.D. Cal. Dec. 4, 2023) (Sabraw, C.J.)
Cohen v. FAA, No. 23-0913, 2023 WL 8439557 (S.D. Cal. Dec. 4, 2023) (Sabraw, C.J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning policies regarding aviation noise
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; dismissing case as moot
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The court finds that, following the commencement of the litigation, “[i]t is...
Cohen v. U.S. Coast Guard, No. 23-0912, 2023 WL 8439562 (S.D. Cal. Dec. 4, 2023) (Sabraw, C.J.)
Cohen v. U.S. Coast Guard, No. 23-0912, 2023 WL 8439562 (S.D. Cal. Dec. 4, 2023) (Sabraw, C.J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning policies regarding aviation noise
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; dismissing case as moot
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The court finds that, following the commencement of the litigation...
Roland v. DOJ, No. 23-1620, 2023 WL 8251312 (7th Cir. Nov. 29, 2023) (per curiam)
Roland v. DOJ, No. 23-1620, 2023 WL 8251312 (7th Cir. Nov. 29, 2023) (per curiam)
Re: Request for records concerning requester’s belief that “government was spying on him through his television”
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The Court of Appeals for the...