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.
Shapiro v. SSA, No. 22-1191, 160 F.4th 347 (2d Cir. 2025) (Lee, J.)
Shapiro v. SSA, No. 22-1191, 160 F.4th 347 (2d Cir. 2025) (Lee, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning how SSA assessed disability claims for migraines and other headache disorders
Disposition: Reversing judgment of district court; vacating district court’s order granting attorney fees and costs
- Fees and Fee Waivers, Fees: The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit relates that “SSA asserts that...
Cruz v. Bondi, No. 25-262, 2025 WL 3295485 (D.R.I. Nov. 26, 2025) (McConnell, Jr., C.J.)
Cruz v. Bondi, No. 25-262, 2025 WL 3295485 (D.R.I. Nov. 26, 2025) (McConnell, Jr., C.J.)
Re: Request for plaintiff’s immigration file
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s emergency motion for discovery
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings & Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: The court first finds that “FOIA actions may be brought only against federal agencies; they may not be brought against...
Shapiro v. DOJ, No. 16-1263, 2025 WL 3280767 (D.D.C. Nov. 25, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Shapiro v. DOJ, No. 16-1263, 2025 WL 3280767 (D.D.C. Nov. 25, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Re: Requests for a variety of records
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Proper FOIA Requests: “The Court begins its analysis by addressing the defendant’s...
Bermudez v. EOIR, No. 24-30617, 2025 WL 3270629 (5th Cir. Nov. 24, 2025) (per curiam)
Bermudez v. EOIR, No. 24-30617, 2025 WL 3270629 (5th Cir. Nov. 24, 2025) (per curiam)
Re: Request for requester’s Record of Proceedings (“ROP”)
Disposition: Affirming district court’s denial of requester’s motion for attorney fees
- Attorney Fees: The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit relates that “[o]n appeal, [the requester] does not contend that the district court erroneously applied [circuit...
Democracy Forward Found. v. DOJ, No. 25-2597, 2025 WL 3268245 (D.D.C. Nov. 24, 2025) (Chutkan, J.)
Democracy Forward Found. v. DOJ, No. 25-2597, 2025 WL 3268245 (D.D.C. Nov. 24, 2025) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein investigation
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Expedited Processing: The court relates that, “[a]s an initial matter, the parties dispute...
Murray v. U.S. Treasury, No. 25-5808, 2025 WL 3280945 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 24, 2025) (Marston, J.)
Murray v. U.S. Treasury, No. 25-5808, 2025 WL 3280945 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 24, 2025) (Marston, J.)
Re: Request for bank transfer, routing information, and other documents
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “[a]ny claims under the FOIA fail for lack of a legal basis because that statute does not apply to state agencies...
Marin v. Driscoll, No. 24-1508, 2025 WL 3152310 (D.D.C. Nov. 12, 2025) (Sooknanan, J.)
Marin v. Driscoll, No. 24-1508, 2025 WL 3152310 (D.D.C. Nov. 12, 2025) (Sooknanan, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff’s accuser in court martial and materials about investigation of unit in which plaintiff and accuser both served
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion to amend complaint
- Exemption 6, Glomar Responses; Waiver and...
Alford v. Collins, No. 22-2856, 2025 WL 3140556 (D.D.C. Nov. 10, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Alford v. Collins, No. 22-2856, 2025 WL 3140556 (D.D.C. Nov. 10, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: “[T]he Court concludes that the defendant has met his burden in showing that the VA conducted an adequate search in response to the...
Karam v. Meta Platforms, Inc., No. 25-01397, 2025 WL 3079048 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 4, 2025) (Martínez-Olguín, J.)
Karam v. Meta Platforms, Inc., No. 25-01397, 2025 WL 3079048 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 4, 2025) (Martínez-Olguín, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning “‘unauthorized surveillance and data collection activities conducted by Meta Platforms, Inc. in cooperation with government agencies’”
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss FOIA claim
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The...
Viola v. DOJ, No. 18-2573, 22-2186, 2025 WL 3059805 (3d Cir. Nov 3, 2025) (Phipps J.)
Viola v. DOJ, No. 18-2573, 22-2186, 2025 WL 3059805 (3d Cir. Nov 3, 2025) (Phipps J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning the requester
Disposition: Affirming in part and vacating in part district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: “[Plaintiff] contends that the Task Force is a federal agency because it receives federal...