Key FOIA Resources: Summaries of Court Decisions

Keep up with the hundreds of decisions issued by federal courts every year by visiting OIP’s Courts Decisions page, where FOIA professionals can readily access summaries of all significant FOIA decisions as they are being issued.  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.  Staying abreast with these FOIA decisions is critical to an agency’s FOIA administration. 

The summaries highlight the main points from each decision and include case citations so that readers may also refer to the full decision.  The site organizes the case summaries chronologically with multiple levels of search functionality that allow professionals to search by topic, date, and using any key terms.  The site also allows for the use of multiple search filters at one time allowing you to, for example, easily search for all the Exemption 5 cases in a particular District or Circuit Court.  As part of the Department’s responsibilities to oversee and encourage government-wide compliance with the FOIA, OIP provides agency FOIA professionals with a range of resources to assist in their day-to-day implementation of the law. 

Agencies are encouraged to use this key resource in conjunction with other resources provided by OIP to stay current with the state of FOIA law.  Agencies that have any questions regarding the court decisions and their impact on FOIA administration may also reach out to OIP for advice through the FOIA Counselor Service.