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.
Env’t Def. Fund, Inc. v. Wright, No. 25-12249, 2026 WL 183484 (D. Mass. Jan. 23, 2026) (Young, J.)
Env’t Def. Fund, Inc. v. Wright, No. 25-12249, 2026 WL 183484 (D. Mass. Jan. 23, 2026) (Young, J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s motion to compel disclosure of certain records covered under Federal Advisory Committee Act (“FACA”)
Disposition: Granting plaintiff’s motion to compel in part
- Litigation Considerations; Exemption 6: “The [FACA] provides for disclosure of committee materials, subject to the exceptions...
Finkelstein v. NIH, No. 22-02229, 2026 WL 320228 (D.D.C. Feb. 6, 2026) (Mehta, J.)
Finkelstein v. NIH, No. 22-02229, 2026 WL 320228 (D.D.C. Feb. 6, 2026) (Mehta, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning grant funding for and complaints about a study known as The Living Brain Project
Disposition: Granting plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees and costs; awarding plaintiff $36,973.65
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: “The court . . . concludes that Plaintiff is eligible for attorney’s fees.”...
Perry v. Villa, No. 24-166, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25462 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 6, 2026) (Mizelle, J.)
Perry v. Villa, No. 24-166, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25462 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 6, 2026) (Mizelle, J.)
Re: Request for certain records
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint sua sponte; denying as moot defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court relates that “[plaintiff], proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, initiated this action by suing . . . a Federal Bureau...
Informed Consent Action Network v. FDA, No. 25-00832, 2026 WL 310004 (D.D.C. Feb. 5, 2026) (Chutkan, J.)
Informed Consent Action Network v. FDA, No. 25-00832, 2026 WL 310004 (D.D.C. Feb. 5, 2026) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for certain communications concerning plaintiff and several other subjects
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion to stay proceedings
Litigation Considerations, “Open America” Stays of Proceedings: The court holds that “Defendants have shown both...
Wood v. United States, No. 25-1104, 2026 WL 308814 (D. Md. Feb. 5, 2026) (Aslan, Mag. J.)
Wood v. United States, No. 25-1104, 2026 WL 308814 (D. Md. Feb. 5, 2026) (Aslan, Mag. J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court holds that “[b]ecause [plaintiff] has not filed suit against a federal agency, his FOIA claim must be dismissed, as it cannot be sustained against the United States...
Jud. Watch, Inc. v. DOJ, No. 23-3004, 2026 WL 296249 (D.D.C. Feb. 4, 2026) (Boasberg, C. J.)
Jud. Watch, Inc. v. DOJ, No. 23-3004, 2026 WL 296249 (D.D.C. Feb. 4, 2026) (Boasberg, C. J.)
Re: Request for records concerning FBI’s reimbursements, following requests for information, to Twitter (now known as X)
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 7, Threshold: The court holds that “[t]hese records were created as part of serving subpoenas, warrants, and other...
Carzoglio v. EOUSA, No. 24-2080, 2026 WL 295387 (D.D.C. Feb. 4, 2026) (Sooknanan, J.)
Carzoglio v. EOUSA, No. 24-2080, 2026 WL 295387 (D.D.C. Feb. 4, 2026) (Sooknanan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning federal criminal prosecution of former Chief of Police in Harrison, New York
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 7, Threshold: The court relates that “[t]o invoke Exemption 7(C), an agency must make a ‘threshold showing’ that the records at...
Novak v. CIA, No. 23-2989, 2026 WL 292070 (D.D.C. Feb. 4, 2026) (Chutkan, J.)
Novak v. CIA, No. 23-2989, 2026 WL 292070 (D.D.C. Feb. 4, 2026) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for plaintiff’s mother’s personnel file
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 1: The court relates that “[t]he CIA invoked Exemption 1 with respect to 19 records withheld in full and 44 records...
Kalbers v. DOJ, 166 F.4th 783 (9th Cir. 2026) (Nelson, J.)
Kalbers v. DOJ, 166 F.4th 783 (9th Cir. 2026) (Nelson, J.)
Re: Request for documents automobile manufacturer had turned over to federal prosecutors as result of grand jury subpoena in connection with criminal investigation of manufacturer
Disposition: Reversing district court’s order requiring disclosure of documents; remanding for district court to evaluate whether government must disclose certain...
Tidwell v. Ctrs. for Medicare & Medicaid Servs., No. 24-09067, 2026 WL 252571 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 30, 2026) (Lin, J.)
Tidwell v. Ctrs. for Medicare & Medicaid Servs., No. 24-09067, 2026 WL 252571 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 30, 2026) (Lin, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning alleged quality-of-care investigation by contracted Quality Improvement Organization (“QIO”)
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: ...