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.
Becker v. Dep’t of the Navy, No. 24-152, 2026 WL 2350079 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2026) (Boasberg, C.J.)
Becker v. Dep’t of the Navy, No. 24-152, 2026 WL 2350079 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2026) (Boasberg, C.J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s international homicide case
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Waiver and Discretionary Disclosure, Waiver: “The Court...
Rodriguez v. FTC, No. 25-2401, 2026 WL 2349862 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2026) (Alikhan, J.)
Rodriguez v. FTC, No. 25-2401, 2026 WL 2349862 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2026) (Alikhan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff, as well as several large social media companies
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; granting plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Fees and Fee Waivers, Fee Waivers: The court notes that “[t]he parties agree that [plaintiff’s] requested...
Freedom Watch, Inc. v. USDA, No. 16-1981, 2026 WL 2349684 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2026) (Cobb, J.)
Freedom Watch, Inc. v. USDA, No. 16-1981, 2026 WL 2349684 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2026) (Cobb, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning drug called Levaquin and correspondence about the drug involving former FDA Commissioner
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for in camera inspection
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of...
Ctr. for Med. Progress v. HHS, No. 21-642, 2026 WL 2333584 (D.D.C. Aug. 12, 2026) (Howell, J.)
Ctr. for Med. Progress v. HHS, No. 21-642, 2026 WL 2333584 (D.D.C. Aug. 12, 2026) (Howell, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning certain grant applications submitted to National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 4: The court relates that, “[h]ere, plaintiff challenges whether...
Derounian v. USPS, No. 25-3596, 2026 WL 2331000 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 12, 2026) (Marutollo, Mag. J.)
Derounian v. USPS, No. 25-3596, 2026 WL 2331000 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 12, 2026) (Marutollo, Mag. J.)
Re: Request for records concerning criminal proceeding in which plaintiff pleaded guilty
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion to compel discovery
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy of Search: “[T]he Court finds that the Government...
Stevens v. CBP, No. 25-2719, 2026 WL 2294660 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 10, 2026) (Kennelly, J.)
Stevens v. CBP, No. 25-2719, 2026 WL 2294660 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 10, 2026) (Kennelly, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning third party
Disposition: Granting in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment; ordering production of certain documents in modified form; ordering in camera inspection of certain records
- Exemption 7(E): The court relates that, previously, “[it] Court upheld CBP’s redactions...
Law Offs. of Sherrod Seward, PLLC v. USCIS, No. 25-00057, 2026 WL 2323095 (W.D.N.C. Aug. 10, 2026) (Orso, J.)
Law Offs. of Sherrod Seward, PLLC v. USCIS, No. 25-00057, 2026 WL 2323095 (W.D.N.C. Aug. 10, 2026) (Orso, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning third parties and other related documents
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Litigation Considerations, Standing: The court finds that “Plaintiff’s own briefing establishes that the FOIA petition was submitted by [the owner of a law office]...
Louise Trauma Ctr., LLC v. ICE, No. 20-3787, 2026 WL 2279955 (D.D.C. August 7, 2026) (Chutkan, J.)
Louise Trauma Ctr., LLC v. ICE, No. 20-3787, 2026 WL 2279955 (D.D.C. August 7, 2026) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for instructions, training material, and guidance that agency gives to immigration court prosecutors
Disposition: Granting defendants’ renewed motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s renewed cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy...
Huddleston v. FBI, No. 20-447, 2026 WL 2364172 (E.D. Tex. Aug. 7, 2026) (Mazzant, J.)
Huddleston v. FBI, No. 20-447, 2026 WL 2364172 (E.D. Tex. Aug. 7, 2026) (Mazzant, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning deceased 27-year-old Democratic National Committee employee
Disposition: Denying as moot defendant’s motion for protective order
- Litigation Considerations, Standing & “Policy-or-Practice Claims”: The court holds that “[a]lthough the Fifth Circuit has not yet identified its...
Asbestos Disease Awareness Ass’n v. Nat’l Park Serv., No. 26-29, 2026 WL 2267810 (D.D.C. Aug. 6, 2026) (Leon, J.)
Asbestos Disease Awareness Ass’n v. Nat’l Park Serv., No. 26-29, 2026 WL 2267810 (D.D.C. Aug. 6, 2026) (Leon, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning asbestos removal during October 2025 demolition of White House East Wing
Disposition: Granting plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part defendants’ partial motion to dismiss, and denying plaintiff’s...