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.
Louise Trauma Ctr. LLC v. DOJ, No. 20-3517, 2023 WL 6646335 (D.D.C. Oct. 12, 2023) (Contreras, J.)
Louise Trauma Ctr. LLC v. DOJ, No. 20-3517, 2023 WL 6646335 (D.D.C. Oct. 12, 2023) (Contreras, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning agency’s handling of FOIA’s foreseeable harm requirement and related training for asylum officers
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 5, Attorney Work-Product Privilege: “The Court begins...
Lawless v. SEC, No. 21-01637, 2023 WL 6795101 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 11, 2023) (Holcomb, J.)
Lawless v. SEC, No. 21-01637, 2023 WL 6795101 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 11, 2023) (Holcomb, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motions for sanctions; denying plaintiff’s motions “to deem the statements of the SEC’s counsel of record . . . as unreliable;” denying plaintiff’s motions concerning defendant’s withholdings; granting defendant’s motion for...
Alan v. DOJ, No. 22-06504, 2023 WL 6558987 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 10, 2023) (Wolford, C.J.)
Alan v. DOJ, No. 22-06504, 2023 WL 6558987 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 10, 2023) (Wolford, C.J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s allegation “that he has a right to the report of any investigation that was undertaken”
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s claims
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court relates that plaintiff argues that “under the [FOIA] he is entitled to know what actions were taken by...
Bal v. U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. 21-4702, 2023 WL 6517738 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 5, 2023) (Wang, Mag. J.)
Bal v. U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. 21-4702, 2023 WL 6517738 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 5, 2023) (Wang, Mag. J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning plaintiff’s allegation that Office of Foreign Assets Control in U.S. Department of the Treasury blocked his payment for rental of an apartment in Cuba
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendants’ motion to dismiss
- Litigation...
Mabie v. IRS, No. 22-03115, 2023 WL 6464917 (D. Colo. Oct. 4, 2023) (Braswell, Mag. J.)
Mabie v. IRS, No. 22-03115, 2023 WL 6464917 (D. Colo. Oct. 4, 2023) (Braswell, Mag. J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s alleged requests for records concerning 2020 and 2021 economic stimulus payments
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss, or in the alternative for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: The court holds that “Plaintiff has...
Stevens v. HHS, No. 22-5072, 2023 WL 6392407 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 2, 2023) (Kennelly, J.)
Stevens v. HHS, No. 22-5072, 2023 WL 6392407 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 2, 2023) (Kennelly, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning third parties
Disposition: Granting in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: “The Court first addresses...
Shteynlyuger v. Ctrs. for Medicare & Medicaid Servs., No. 20-2982, 2023 WL 6389139 (D.D.C. Sept. 30, 2023) (Moss, J.)
Shteynlyuger v. Ctrs. for Medicare & Medicaid Servs., No. 20-2982, 2023 WL 6389139 (D.D.C. Sept. 30, 2023) (Moss, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning enforcement of HIPAA’s Administrative Simplification Requirements
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations...
Putnam v. U.S. Army Rev. Bd. Agency, No. 22-305, 2023 WL 6380005 (W.D. Okla. Sept. 29, 2023) (Goodwin, J.)
Putnam v. U.S. Army Rev. Bd. Agency, No. 22-305, 2023 WL 6380005 (W.D. Okla. Sept. 29, 2023) (Goodwin, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Time Limits: The court relates that “Plaintiff first challenges the promptness of Defendant’s response to Plaintiff’s FOIA request, arguing Defendant...
Stein v. CIA, No. 17-189, 2023 WL 6388946 (D.D.C. Sept. 29, 2023) (Chutkan, J.)
Stein v. CIA, No. 17-189, 2023 WL 6388946 (D.D.C. Sept. 29, 2023) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning “‘national security briefings given or to be given to Donald Trump due to his Presidential candidacy,’” as well as information related to background investigations of fifteen individuals reportedly under consideration for senior positions in the Trump administration
Dispositio...
McMillan v. DOJ, No. 22-00174, 2023 WL 6377270 (D. Ariz. Sept. 29, 2023) (Rayes, J.)
McMillan v. DOJ, No. 22-00174, 2023 WL 6377270 (D. Ariz. Sept. 29, 2023) (Rayes, J.)
Re: Alleged FOIA request
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s FOIA claim
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court holds that “Plaintiff has not met [the] minimal pleading burden.” “He alleges only that the defendant agency ‘redacts/denies material re: FOIA-PA exceptions.’” “He fails to plead...