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.
Heritage Found. v. DOJ, No. 24-645, 2026 WL 1766549 (D.D.C. June 19, 2026) (Friedrich, J.)
Heritage Found. v. DOJ, No. 24-645, 2026 WL 1766549 (D.D.C. June 19, 2026) (Friedrich, J.)
Re: Request for certain records from Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s investigation of former President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Disposition: Denying intervenor’s motion for preliminary injunction
- Reverse FOIA; Exemption 6; Exemption 7(C): The court relates that “[plaintiffs] bring this action under the [FOIA] for...
Appeal, Inc. v. U.S. DOJ’s Off. of Just. Programs, No. 22-02111, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136584 (C.D. Cal. June 17, 2026) (Hsu, J.)
Appeal, Inc. v. U.S. DOJ’s Off. of Just. Programs, No. 22-02111, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136584 (C.D. Cal. June 17, 2026) (Hsu, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning death-in-custody data
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for relief from judgment; vacating prior order
- Exemption 3: The court relates that “[o]n October 15, 2024, the Court concluded that ‘Exemption 3 applies to Plaintiffs’...
Wild Horse Educ. v. U.S. Dep’t of Interior, No. 25-00152, 2026 WL 1759573 (D. Nev. June 17, 2026) (Du, J.)
Wild Horse Educ. v. U.S. Dep’t of Interior, No. 25-00152, 2026 WL 1759573 (D. Nev. June 17, 2026) (Du, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning Comprehensive Animal Welfare Policy (“CAWP”)
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The court finds that “[t]his case is moot.” “Defendant has met its burden of demonstrating...
Simmons v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 25-5176, 2026 WL 1724592 (D.C. Cir. June 15, 2026) (per curiam)
Simmons v. U.S. Dep’t of State, No. 25-5176, 2026 WL 1724592 (D.C. Cir. June 15, 2026) (per curiam)
Re: Requests for records concerning requester
Disposition: Affirming district court’s denial of requester’s motion for attorney fees and costs
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit holds that “the record supports the district court’s conclusion that...
Am. First Legal Found. v. CDC, No. 22-00978, 2026 WL 1723917 (D.D.C. June 15, 2026) (Mehta, J.)
Am. First Legal Found. v. CDC, No. 22-00978, 2026 WL 1723917 (D.D.C. June 15, 2026) (Mehta, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning “efforts to ‘flag COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccine related “misinformation” or “disinformation”’ on social media, including any communications with social media companies”
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in...
Stevens v. DOJ, No. 24-3215, 2026 WL 1702523 (7th Cir. June 12, 2026) (Alexakis, J.)
Stevens v. DOJ, No. 24-3215, 2026 WL 1702523 (7th Cir. June 12, 2026) (Alexakis, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning third parties, as well as for records concerning FOIA operations
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations: “As a threshold matter, [the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit] decide[s] the scope of the...
Lambi v. United States, No. 26-101, 2026 WL 1683469 (D. Neb. June 10, 2026) (Carson, Mag. J.)
Lambi v. United States, No. 26-101, 2026 WL 1683469 (D. Neb. June 10, 2026) (Carson, Mag. J.)
Re: Motion seeking order compelling each named federal agency to produce every record referencing plaintiff
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion
- Litigation Considerations: The court finds that “a FOIA challenge must be brought as a separate lawsuit.” “Plaintiff cannot initiate a FOIA enforcement action...
Robinson v. Whole Foods Mkt., Inc., No. 26-00545, 2026 WL 1662384 (D. Or. June 9, 2026) (Baggio, J.)
Robinson v. Whole Foods Mkt., Inc., No. 26-00545, 2026 WL 1662384 (D. Or. June 9, 2026) (Baggio, J.)
Re: Request for records regarding plaintiff’s employment claims
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s amended complaint with leave to amend
- Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: The court finds that, “[h]ere, Plaintiff pleads that Defendant EEOC ‘close[d] [Plaintiff’s]...
Carter v. DOJ, No. 26-920, 2026 WL 1623065 (D.D.C. June 5, 2026) (Boasberg, C.J.)
Carter v. DOJ, No. 26-920, 2026 WL 1623065 (D.D.C. June 5, 2026) (Boasberg, C.J.)
Re: Request for records concerning tips or complaints submitted to defendant during specific time period
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy of Search: The court finds that “[defendant’s] declarations describe the extensive steps that...
Byrne v. NSA, No. 20-08433, 2026 WL 1611872 (N.D. Cal. June 4, 2026) (Breyer, J.)
Byrne v. NSA, No. 20-08433, 2026 WL 1611872 (N.D. Cal. June 4, 2026) (Breyer, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning two Vietnam War operations, Operation Gauntlet and Operation Tailwind
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: The court finds that “NSA’s search satisfies the...