U.S. Department
of Justice
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.
Student Borrower Prot. Ctr. v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., No. 23-1780, 2025 WL 1373472 (D.D.C. May 9, 2025) (Sooknanan, J.)
Student Borrower Prot. Ctr. v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., No. 23-1780, 2025 WL 1373472 (D.D.C. May 9, 2025) (Sooknanan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning policy of writing off defaulted federal student loans of incarcerated borrowers
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees and costs
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: The court relates that “[i]n the absence of Court-ordered disclosure,...
Conflict Kinetics, LLC v. Program Exec. Off., No. 25-00125, 2025 WL 1334052 (E.D. Va. May 6, 2025) (Nachmanoff, J.)
Conflict Kinetics, LLC v. Program Exec. Off., No. 25-00125, 2025 WL 1334052 (E.D. Va. May 6, 2025) (Nachmanoff, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning specific contract
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s partial motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other grounds for Dismissal: First, the court finds that “[b]ecause the only...
Tex. Pub. Pol’y Found. v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 24-50189, 2025 WL 1287890 (5th Cir. May 5, 2025) (Wilson, J.)
Tex. Pub. Pol’y Found. v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 24-50189, 2025 WL 1287890 (5th Cir. May 5, 2025) (Wilson, J.)
Re: Request concerning “target of ‘a 50–52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution’ by 2030”
Disposition: Reversing and remanding district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 6: The Court of Appeals for the Fifth...
Citizens for Resp. & Ethics in Wash. v. DHS, No. 23-00046, 2025 WL 1293309 (D.D.C. May 5, 2025) (Ali, J.)
Citizens for Resp. & Ethics in Wash. v. DHS, No. 23-00046, 2025 WL 1293309 (D.D.C. May 5, 2025) (Ali, J.)
Re: Request for communications between U.S. Secret Service personnel and group called Oath Keepers
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 6; Exemption 7, Threshold; Exemption 7(C): The court relates that “[the]...
Bell v. FBI, No. 24-1884, 2025 WL 1262496 (S.D. Ill. May 1, 2025) (Gilbert, J.)
Bell v. FBI, No. 24-1884, 2025 WL 1262496 (S.D. Ill. May 1, 2025) (Gilbert, J.)
Re: Request for memorandum of understanding between FBI and Illinois State Police Firearms Services Bureau
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: The court holds that “[t]he FBI is...
Hairston, Sr. v. Admin. Office of the U.S. Courts, No. 25-1139, 2025 WL 1305327 (D.D.C. Apr. 30, 2025) (Chutkan, J.)
Hairston, Sr. v. Admin. Office of the U.S. Courts, No. 25-1139, 2025 WL 1305327 (D.D.C. Apr. 30, 2025) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request that Administrative Office of the United States Courts (“AO”) release “‘under the [FOIA,] [a] categorical list of all denials from 2020 to present . . . for a Writ of certiorari to issue’”
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings...
Protect the Public’s Trust v. NLRB, No. 23-2084, 2025 WL 1233894 (D.D.C. Apr. 29, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Protect the Public’s Trust v. NLRB, No. 23-2084, 2025 WL 1233894 (D.D.C. Apr. 29, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning participation of two members of NLRB in matters before NLRB involving their former employers and/or clients
Disposition: Denying without prejudice defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying without prejudice in part plaintiff’s motion for...
Accuracy in Media v. CIA, No. 22-5235, 2025 WL 1198024 (D.C. Cir. Apr. 25, 2025) (Millett, J.)
Accuracy in Media v. CIA, No. 22-5235, 2025 WL 1198024 (D.C. Cir. Apr. 25, 2025) (Millett, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning prisoners of war from Vietnam War
Disposition: Reversing and remanding district court’s grant of defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy of Search: The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit holds...
Glines v. DOD, No. 24-1222, 2025 WL 1207085 (D.D.C. Apr. 25, 2025) (Chutkan, J.)
Glines v. DOD, No. 24-1222, 2025 WL 1207085 (D.D.C. Apr. 25, 2025) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction
- Litigation Considerations, Preliminary Injunctions: The court relates that “Plaintiff argues that the Navy ‘failed to answer’ her March 19, 2024, request to expedite within the 10-day deadline.” The court...
Am. First Legal Found. v. FBI, No. 24-5258, 2025 WL 1188974 (D.C. Cir. Apr. 22, 2025) (per curiam)
Am. First Legal Found. v. FBI, No. 24-5258, 2025 WL 1188974 (D.C. Cir. Apr. 22, 2025) (per curiam)
Re: Request for records concerning FBI’s background investigations into U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy of Search: The Court of Appeals for the District of...