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.
Kilmer v. U.S. Customs & Border Prot., No. 17-1566, 2023 WL 7695754 (D.D.C. Nov. 15, 2023) (Kollar-Kotelly, J.)
Kilmer v. U.S. Customs & Border Prot., No. 17-1566, 2023 WL 7695754 (D.D.C. Nov. 15, 2023) (Kollar-Kotelly, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning interactions with individuals seeking entry into United States to participate in demonstration known as the “Women’s March” in January 2017
Disposition: Granting defendant’s renewed motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for in...
Sweigert v. NIH, No. 23-9542, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 202291 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 7, 2023) (Swain, C.J.)
Sweigert v. NIH, No. 23-9542, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 202291 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 7, 2023) (Swain, C.J.)
Re: Request for certain records of NIH and NIH Acting Director
Disposition: Transferring case to the District Court for the District of Columbia
- Litigation Considerations, Venue: “In the interest of justice, the Court transfers this action to the United States District Court for the...
Contreras & Metelska, P.A., v. ICE, No. 21-1148, 2023 WL 7306139 (D. Minn. Nov. 6, 2023) (Tunheim, J.)
Contreras & Metelska, P.A., v. ICE, No. 21-1148, 2023 WL 7306139 (D. Minn. Nov. 6, 2023) (Tunheim, J.)
Re: Request for certain emails of specific managing attorney
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, In Camera Inspection: The court holds that “[b]ecause the Vaughn Index and [defendant...
N.Y. Times v. DOJ, No. 22-1539, 2023 WL 7305242 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 6, 2023) (Rakoff, J.)
N.Y. Times v. DOJ, No. 22-1539, 2023 WL 7305242 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 6, 2023) (Rakoff, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning DOJ and FBI’s use of spyware and other digital surveillance products from Israeli technology company, including product used to surveil encrypted communications on smartphones
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for partial reconsideration of court’s grant in part...
Guarascio v. FBI, No. 18-2791, 2023 WL 7182057 (D.D.C. Nov. 1, 2023) (Cooper, J.)
Guarascio v. FBI, No. 18-2791, 2023 WL 7182057 (D.D.C. Nov. 1, 2023) (Cooper, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s conviction
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment in part
- Procedural Requirements, FOIA Requesters & Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: “[T]he Court first concludes that the FBI has not shown that...
Wilson v. DOJ, No. 23-02140, 2023 WL 7128476 (D.D.C. Oct. 27, 2023) (Cobb, J.)
Wilson v. DOJ, No. 23-02140, 2023 WL 7128476 (D.D.C. Oct. 27, 2023) (Cobb, J.)
Re: Request for investigatory records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Granting plaintiff’s application to proceed in forma pauperis, dismissing plaintiff’s case
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court finds that plaintiff “alleges no facts establishing (1) that he submitted a request under either...
Vidal-Martinez v. DHS, Nos. 22-2445, 23-1900, 2023 WL 6985694 (7th Cir. Oct. 24, 2023) (Brennan, J.)
Vidal-Martinez v. DHS, Nos. 22-2445, 23-1900, 2023 WL 6985694 (7th Cir. Oct. 24, 2023) (Brennan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning requester’s immigration proceedings
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations: The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit holds that “[t]he district court had an adequate...
Energy Pol’y Advocs. v. SEC, No. 22-01497, 2023 WL 6976071 (D.D.C. Oct. 23, 2023) (McFadden, J.)
Energy Pol’y Advocs. v. SEC, No. 22-01497, 2023 WL 6976071 (D.D.C. Oct. 23, 2023) (McFadden, J.)
Re: Request for emails and messages discussing proposed disclosure requirements
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search & Procedural Requirements, Searching for Responsive Records: The court holds that “[t]he Commission’s...
Buzzfeed Inc. v. DOJ, No. 19-1977, 2023 WL 6847008 (D.D.C. Oct. 17, 2023) (Sullivan, J.)
Buzzfeed Inc. v. DOJ, No. 19-1977, 2023 WL 6847008 (D.D.C. Oct. 17, 2023) (Sullivan, J.)
Re: Request for communications between Los Angeles FBI field office and several DNA and genetic testing businesses
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: The court relates...
Ercole v. Wilkie, No. 19-11961, 2023 WL 6812300 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 16, 2023) (Broderick, J.)
Ercole v. Wilkie, No. 19-11961, 2023 WL 6812300 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 16, 2023) (Broderick, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning certain job vacancies
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion to dismiss; dismissing plaintiff’s compliant with leave to amend
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court relates that “Plaintiff alleges that he submitted two FOIA requests . . . and attaches...