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.
Protect the Pub.’s Trust v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, No. 22-2849, 2023 WL 6160014 (D.D.C. Sept. 21, 2023) (Kelly, J.)
Protect the Pub.’s Trust v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor, No. 22-2849, 2023 WL 6160014 (D.D.C. Sept. 21, 2023) (Kelly, J.)
Re: Request for certain communications between political appointees and twenty-five separate organizations
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Procedural Requirements, Proper FOIA Requests: The court holds that “Plaintiff’s FOIA request does not ‘reasonably...
Vyas v. Hutcheson, No. 23-00286, 2023 WL 6164021 (W.D. Va. Sept. 21, 2023) (Dillon, J.)
Vyas v. Hutcheson, No. 23-00286, 2023 WL 6164021 (W.D. Va. Sept. 21, 2023) (Dillon, J.)
Re: Request for records maintained by local jail
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “[f]ederal FOIA ‘does not apply to state or local entities.’” “Therefore, [plaintiff] cannot state a federal FOIA claim against...
Braun v. United States, No. 22-00108, 2023 WL 6158943 (D. Utah Sept. 21, 2023) (Shelby, C. J.)
Braun v. United States, No. 22-00108, 2023 WL 6158943 (D. Utah Sept. 21, 2023) (Shelby, C. J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Overruling plaintiff’s objections; adopting magistrate judge’s report and recommendation; granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations Pleadings: The court adopts the magistrate judge’s report and recommendation. ...
Silverton Mountain Guides LLC v. U.S. Forest Serv., No. 22-00048, 2023 WL 6148122 (D. Alaska Sept. 20, 2023) (Kindred, J.)
Silverton Mountain Guides LLC v. U.S. Forest Serv., No. 22-00048, 2023 WL 6148122 (D. Alaska Sept. 20, 2023) (Kindred, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning Guided Helicopter Skiing Prospectus
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s request for attorney fees
- Attorney Fees: In an Administrative Procedure Act case, the court considers plaintiff’s request for attorney fees under the FOIA. The...
Inst. for Energy Rsch. v. FERC, No. 22-2114, 2023 WL 6121878 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Howell, J.)
Inst. for Energy Rsch. v. FERC, No. 22-2114, 2023 WL 6121878 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Howell, J.)
Re: Request for calendars for FERC Commissioners during an approximately 18-month period
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search; Procedural...
Radar Online LLC v. FBI, No. 17-3956, 2023 WL 6122691 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 19, 2023) (Gardephe, J.)
Radar Online LLC v. FBI, No. 17-3956, 2023 WL 6122691 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 19, 2023) (Gardephe, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning prosecution of financier Jeffrey Epstein for child sex trafficking crimes
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
Bakaj v. DHS, No. 19-1580, 2023 WL 6121822 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Bakaj v. DHS, No. 19-1580, 2023 WL 6121822 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Re: Request for all DHS records of OIG’s investigation into whistleblower retaliation allegations plaintiff raised concerning certain CIA officials
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 3: The court relates that “[p]ursuant to Exemption 3, the government redacted...
Cable News Network, Inc. v. CIA, No. 21-00733, 2023 WL 6121874 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Chutkan, J.)
Cable News Network, Inc. v. CIA, No. 21-00733, 2023 WL 6121874 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning third party
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 1: The court relates that “[i]n its final response letter, the CIA stated that it did not locate any responsive...
Wright v. FBI, No. 18-0687, 2023 WL 6121872 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Chutkan, J.)
Wright v. FBI, No. 18-0687, 2023 WL 6121872 (D.D.C. Sept. 19, 2023) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for certain records concerning plaintiff, as well as Countering Violent Extremism
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s revised motion to conduct limited discovery
- Procedural Requirements, Proper FOIA Requests: Regarding...
The N.Y. Times Co. v. FBI, No. 21-10888, 2023 WL 5955843 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 13, 2023) (Reice Buchwald, J.)
The N.Y. Times Co. v. FBI, No. 21-10888, 2023 WL 5955843 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 13, 2023) (Reice Buchwald, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning shootings involving FBI officers
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 6; Exemption 7(C): “The Court finds there is a strong privacy interest and minimal public interest [regarding information withheld from an...