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.
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 five...
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
Disposition: ...
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 the...
Energy Pol’y Advocs. v. EPA, No. 22-298, 2023 WL 6388879 (D.D.C. Sept. 29, 2023) (Kelly, J.)
Energy Pol’y Advocs. v. EPA, No. 22-298, 2023 WL 6388879 (D.D.C. Sept. 29, 2023) (Kelly, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning EPA’s work regarding air-quality standards
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion to file surreply
- Exemption 5, “Inter-Agency or Intra-Agency” Threshold Requirement, Deliberative Process Privilege, Foreseeable Harm...
Adams v. CIA, No. 23-5041, 2023 WL 6323546 (D.C. Cir. Sept. 28, 2023) (per curiam)
Adams v. CIA, No. 23-5041, 2023 WL 6323546 (D.C. Cir. Sept. 28, 2023) (per curiam)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Denying requester’s motion to appoint counsel; dismissing as moot in part and denying in part requester’s motion for de novo review; denying requester’s motion for summary reversal; granting government’s motion for summary affirmance concerning district...
Buckley v. DOJ, No. 19-319, 2023 WL 6304719 (W.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2023) (Foschio, Mag. J.)
Buckley v. DOJ, No. 19-319, 2023 WL 6304719 (W.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2023) (Foschio, Mag. J.)
Re: Request for records concerning two-year investigation
Disposition: Granting remainder of defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 3; Exemption 6; Exemption 7(C); Exemption 7(E): The court relates that “the [court] granted in part and denied in part both Defendant’s and Plaintiff’s Motions...
Cabezas v. BOP, No. 20-02484, 2023 WL 6312349 (D.D.C. Sept. 28, 2023) (Nichols, J.)
Cabezas v. BOP, No. 20-02484, 2023 WL 6312349 (D.D.C. Sept. 28, 2023) (Nichols, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff and certain federal employees
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: Regarding the DOJ’s Office of...
Perrusquia v. TVA, No. 22-309, 2023 WL 6303013 (E.D. Tenn. Sept. 27, 2023) (Greer, J.)
Perrusquia v. TVA, No. 22-309, 2023 WL 6303013 (E.D. Tenn. Sept. 27, 2023) (Greer, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning salary and compensation of four Regional Vice Presidents employed by Defendant from December 1, 2020 to January 31, 2022
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment