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.
Accuracy in Media, Inc. v. DOD, No. 14-1589, 2024 WL 1833851 (D.D.C. Apr. 26, 2024) (Alikhan, J.)
Accuracy in Media, Inc. v. DOD, No. 14-1589, 2024 WL 1833851 (D.D.C. Apr. 26, 2024) (Alikhan, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning September 11, 2012 attacks on U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiffs’ cross-motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 7(A): “The court concludes that the FD-302s were properly...
Henderson Parks, LLC v. BOP, No. 23-13762, 2024 WL 1834150 (N.D. Ill. Apr. 26, 2024) (Cummings, J.)
Henderson Parks, LLC v. BOP, No. 23-13762, 2024 WL 1834150 (N.D. Ill. Apr. 26, 2024) (Cummings, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning investigation into death of third party
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 7, Threshold: The court holds that “[i]t is well established that BOP is considered a law...
Phillips v. Johnson & Johnson, No. 23-01152, 2024 WL 1765583 (N.D. Ohio Apr. 24, 2024) (Ruiz, J.)
Phillips v. Johnson & Johnson, No. 23-01152, 2024 WL 1765583 (N.D. Ohio Apr. 24, 2024) (Ruiz, J.)
Re: Request for “‘the award of [his] social security claim (SSDI)”’ and $50,000,000”
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s action
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court finds that “[t]he Freedom of Information Act is applicable only to federal agencies.” “Here, the...
Juul Labs, Inc. v. FDA, No. 22-2853, 2024 WL 1733043 (D.D.C. Apr. 23, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Juul Labs, Inc. v. FDA, No. 22-2853, 2024 WL 1733043 (D.D.C. Apr. 23, 2024) (Moss, J.)
Re: Request for internal review documents related to FDA’s marketing denial order (“MDO”) letters with respect to requester’s premarket tobacco applications (“PMTA”) for certain e-cigarette products
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in...
Kourani v. DOJ, No. 24-0857, 2024 WL 1765693 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 22, 2024) (Taylor Swain, C. J.)
Kourani v. DOJ, No. 24-0857, 2024 WL 1765693 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 22, 2024) (Taylor Swain, C. J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s argument that “‘confidential information’” concerning himself was “‘illegally’” released
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s action
- Reverse FOIA: The court relates that “‘[t]he proper avenue for enjoining an agency from disclosing documents pursuant to FOIA is a reverse FOIA...
Campaign for Accountability v. DOJ, No. 16-1068, 2024 WL 1701640 (D.D.C. Apr. 19, 2024) (Cobb, J.)
Campaign for Accountability v. DOJ, No. 16-1068, 2024 WL 1701640 (D.D.C. Apr. 19, 2024) (Cobb, J.)
Re: Plaintiff seeking judgment that OLC’s formal, written opinions resolving interagency disputes are subject to FOIA’s reading-room provision
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Proactive Disclosures: The court...
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...