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.
United States v. Riese, No. 22-50136, 2024 WL 1585392 (D.S.D. Apr. 11, 2024) (Wollmann, Mag. J.)
United States v. Riese, No. 22-50136, 2024 WL 1585392 (D.S.D. Apr. 11, 2024) (Wollmann, Mag. J.)
Re: Request for certain manuals and procedural documents, as well as for certain communications
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion
- Litigation Considerations, Jurisdiction: The court relates that “[defendant] filed a pro se motion titled ‘Motion for FOIA (Freedom of Information)’ . . ....
Colo. Wild Pub. Lands v. U.S. Forest Serv., No. 21-2802, 2024 WL 1555865 (D.D.C. Apr. 10, 2024) (Cooper, J.)
Colo. Wild Pub. Lands v. U.S. Forest Serv., No. 21-2802, 2024 WL 1555865 (D.D.C. Apr. 10, 2024) (Cooper, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning agency’s evaluation of a proposed land exchange in San Juan National Forest, including third-party appraisals of the relevant parcels
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss; denying as moot plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Li...
LatinoJustice PRLDEF v. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. 19-4417, 2024 WL 965653 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 5, 2024) (Oetken, J.)
LatinoJustice PRLDEF v. Dep’t of the Treasury, No. 19-4417, 2024 WL 965653 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 5, 2024) (Oetken, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning candidates who were considered for appointment to Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment
- Litigation...
Abissi v. USCIS, No. 23-03176, 2024 WL 1485887 (D. Md. Apr. 5, 2024) (Bredar, C.J.)
Abissi v. USCIS, No. 23-03176, 2024 WL 1485887 (D. Md. Apr. 5, 2024) (Bredar, C.J.)
Re: Requests for assessment of one of the individual plaintiffs
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss or transfer in part; transferring case to United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Litigation Considerations, Venue: The court finds that “[t]he Complaint names seven...
Hughes v. Opel, No. 23-1974, 2024 WL 1443329 (D. Md. Apr. 3, 2024) (Bredar, C.J.)
Hughes v. Opel, No. 23-1974, 2024 WL 1443329 (D. Md. Apr. 3, 2024) (Bredar, C.J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s FOIA claim
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court relates that “[plaintiff] alleges that he requested information from [a local patrol officer] and that [the officer] ‘refused to comply.’” The court...
Citizens for Resp. & Ethics in Wash. v. DOJ, No. 19-3626, 2024 WL 1406550 (D.D.C. Mar. 31, 2024) (Friedrich, J.)
Citizens for Resp. & Ethics in Wash. v. DOJ, No. 19-3626, 2024 WL 1406550 (D.D.C. Mar. 31, 2024) (Friedrich, J.)
Re: Request for records from February 14, 2019 to the present related to procurement of pentobarbital, pentobarbital sodium, or Nembutal to be used in federal executions
Disposition: Granting defendant’s renewed motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part...
Lantry, III v. Kendall, No. 23-473, 2024 WL 1366788 (D.D.C. Mar. 31, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Lantry, III v. Kendall, No. 23-473, 2024 WL 1366788 (D.D.C. Mar. 31, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning defendant’s review board’s finding that plaintiff committed malpractice when caring for patient during medical transport in 2014
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s FOIA claim
- Exemption 3; Procedural Requirements,...
Protect the Public’s Trust v. DOE, No. 21-2486, 2024 WL 1344453 (D.D.C. Mar. 30, 2024) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Protect the Public’s Trust v. DOE, No. 21-2486, 2024 WL 1344453 (D.D.C. Mar. 30, 2024) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning specific DOE employee
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: The court holds that “Plaintiff has not raised any issues in its opposition with respect to the adequacy of the...
Lintech Glob., Inc. v. FAA, No. 20-12062, 2024 WL 1348361 (E.D. Mich. Mar. 30, 2024) (Parker, J.)
Lintech Glob., Inc. v. FAA, No. 20-12062, 2024 WL 1348361 (E.D. Mich. Mar. 30, 2024) (Parker, J.)
Re: Request for records of communication between plaintiff, defendant, and company, as well as certain contract records
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: The court...
Sowe v. Navy Fed. Credit Union, No. 23-3281, 2024 WL 1346878 (D. Md. Mar. 29, 2024) (Gallagher, J.)
Sowe v. Navy Fed. Credit Union, No. 23-3281, 2024 WL 1346878 (D. Md. Mar. 29, 2024) (Gallagher, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s checking account
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “federal credit unions do not constitute ‘agencies’ for purposes of the . . . [FOIA].” “FOIA...