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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.

View Court Decisions
Displaying 1 - 10 of 3943

Informed Consent Action Network v. CDC, No. 24-0798, 2025 WL 2886321 (D.D.C. Oct. 10, 2025) (Friedman, J.)

Informed Consent Action Network v. CDC, No. 24-0798, 2025 WL 2886321 (D.D.C. Oct. 10, 2025) (Friedman, J.)

Re: Request for information regarding COVID-19 vaccines

Disposition:  Denying plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees and costs

  • Attorney Fees, Entitlement: The court notes that “Defendants do not contest that plaintiff is ‘eligible’ to receive attorneys’ fees.”  As to fee entitlement, “[t]hough the...

Popov v. DHS, No. 24-5703, 2025 WL 2888011 (9th Cir. Oct. 10, 2025) (per curiam)

Popov v. DHS, No. 24-5703, 2025 WL 2888011 (9th Cir. Oct. 10, 2025) (per curiam)

Re: Request for third party alien file

Disposition:  Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment

  • Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Vaughn Index:  The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit holds that “[the requester] waived his argument that DHS did not satisfy its burden...

Garkov v. NSA, No. 25-02053, 2025 WL 2911771 (D.D.C. Oct. 9, 2025) (Nichols, J.)

Garkov v. NSA, No. 25-02053, 2025 WL 2911771 (D.D.C. Oct. 9, 2025) (Nichols, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s “‘assassination with a microwave weapon’”

Disposition:  Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint

  • Litigation Considerations:  “[The court] cannot exercise subject matter jurisdiction over a frivolous complaint.” “The instant Complaint falls squarely into this category.”

N.Y. Times Co. v. U.S. Def. Counterintelligence & Sec. Agency, No. 25-2333, 2025 WL 2855339 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 8, 2025) (Cote, J.)

N.Y. Times Co. v. U.S. Def. Counterintelligence & Sec. Agency, No. 25-2333, 2025 WL 2855339 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 8, 2025) (Cote, J.)

Re: Request for two-page document listing any security clearances granted to Elon Musk

Disposition:  Granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment

  • Exemption 6: The court finds that “[the United States Defense...

Arroyo v. USCIS, No. 25-23177, 2025 WL 2840412 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 7, 2025) (Torres, Mag. J.)

Arroyo v. USCIS, No. 25-23177, 2025 WL 2840412 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 7, 2025) (Torres, Mag. J.)

Re: Defendant’s alleged failure to address plaintiff’s FOIA requests

Disposition:  Granting plaintiff’s motion to amend complaint

  • Litigation Considerations, Pleadings:  The court holds that “Plaintiff should file a cogent complaint that sets forth all the elements of the claim under the FOIA.”  “Plaintiff must...

Eckert v. City of Buffalo, No. 22-540, 2025 WL 2836547 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 6, 2025) (Vilardo, J.)

Eckert v. City of Buffalo, No. 22-540, 2025 WL 2836547 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 6, 2025) (Vilardo, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning a land dispute

Disposition:  Dismissing plaintiff’s FOIA claim

  • Litigation Considerations, Pleadings; Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “[plaintiff] cannot assert viable claims against Erie County under either of those statutes for a...

Ferguson v. DOJ, No. 25-50058, 2025 WL 2829747 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 6, 2025) (Johnston, J.)

Ferguson v. DOJ, No. 25-50058, 2025 WL 2829747 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 6, 2025) (Johnston, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning Prison Rape Elimination Act and Justice for All Reauthorization Act

Disposition:  Granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment

  • Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy of Search:  The court holds that “[t...

Citizens for Resp. & Ethics in Wash. v. DOJ, No. 19-2267, 2025 WL 2829203 (D.D.C. Oct. 6, 2025) (Alikhan, J.)

Citizens for Resp. & Ethics in Wash. v. DOJ, No. 19-2267, 2025 WL 2829203 (D.D.C. Oct. 6, 2025) (Alikhan, J.)

Re: Request for certain records concerning campaign finance investigations of various individuals associated with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign

Disposition:  Granting defendant’s renewed motion for summary judgment

  • Exemption 5, Attorney Work-Product Privilege:  “With the benefit of DOJ...

Cottom v. DOJ, No. 23-6307, 2025 WL 2802396 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 2, 2025) (Holland, Mag. J.)

Cottom v. DOJ, No. 23-6307, 2025 WL 2802396 (W.D.N.Y. Oct. 2, 2025) (Holland, Mag. J.)

Re: Request for all “Operation Torpedo” Network Investigation Technique Reports

Disposition:  Denying plaintiff’s motion for order directing defendant to file Vaughn Index and declaration by set date

  • Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Declarations & Vaughn Index:  The court relates that “the parties...

Cahill v. U.S. Dep’t of Com., No. 25-5168, 2025 WL 2812897 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 1, 2025) (per curiam)

Cahill v. U.S. Dep’t of Com., No. 25-5168, 2025 WL 2812897 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 1, 2025) (per curiam)

Re: Request for audio recording of Patent Trial and Appeals Board oral argument for plaintiff’s patent case

Disposition:  Granting government’s motion for summary affirmance

  • Attorney Fees, Eligibility & Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies:  The Court of Appeals for the...