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.
Long v. Dep’t of Educ., No. 25-2406, 2025 WL 3534454 (D.D.C. Dec. 10, 2026) (Contreras, J.)
Long v. Dep’t of Educ., No. 25-2406, 2025 WL 3534454 (D.D.C. Dec. 10, 2026) (Contreras, J.)
Re: Request for copies of Certification of Identity and Consent Forms from 2013 and 2021
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion to dismiss
- Litigation Considerations, Jurisdiction: The court relates that “Plaintiff commenced this civil action against the United States Department of Education in the Superior...
Informed Consent Action Network v. Nat’l Insts. of Health, Nos. 23-3674, 24-813, 2025 WL 3484885 (D.D.C. Dec. 4, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Informed Consent Action Network v. Nat’l Insts. of Health, Nos. 23-3674, 24-813, 2025 WL 3484885 (D.D.C. Dec. 4, 2025) (Walton, J.)
Re: Request for emails concerning article titled “Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in All Of Us Research Program Participants, January 2-March 18, 2020”
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: The court relates that “plaintiff...
Lofton v. United States, No. 23-09088, 2025 WL 3514087 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 3, 2025) (Peace Garnett, J.)
Lofton v. United States, No. 23-09088, 2025 WL 3514087 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 3, 2025) (Peace Garnett, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning loss of plaintiff’s business and taking of plaintiff’s bank funds
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s FOIA claims with leave to amend
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: “For his FOIA claims, Plaintiff has not named each Agency as a defendant but, instead, has...
Santos v. Cal. Dep’t of Corr., No. 25-1988, 2025 WL 3470258 (E.D. Cal. Dec. 3, 2025) (Delaney, Mag. J.)
Santos v. Cal. Dep’t of Corr., No. 25-1988, 2025 WL 3470258 (E.D. Cal. Dec. 3, 2025) (Delaney, Mag. J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint with leave to amend
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court holds that “the complaint fails to state any claim under FOIA.” “FOIA requires federal agencies to make certain...
Ctr. for Immigr. Stud. v. USCIS, No. 23-3491, 2025 WL 3458766 (D.D.C. Dec. 2, 2025) (Cooper, J.)
Ctr. for Immigr. Stud. v. USCIS, No. 23-3491, 2025 WL 3458766 (D.D.C. Dec. 2, 2025) (Cooper, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning demographic information of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applicants, including their current non-immigration status
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees
- Attorney Fees, Eligibility: The court finds that “[plaintiff] has failed to demonstrate...
Kurtz v. Doe, No. 25-01174, 2025 WL 3456361 (N.D.N.Y. Dec. 2, 2025) (Nardacci, J.)
Kurtz v. Doe, No. 25-01174, 2025 WL 3456361 (N.D.N.Y. Dec. 2, 2025) (Nardacci, J.)
Re: Request made under the New York Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”) for police records
Disposition: Adopting magistrate judge’s report and recommendation; dismissing plaintiff’s complaint without leave to amend
- Litigation Considerations, Relief: The court holds that “Plaintiff’s . . . objection is meritless.” ...
Long v. ICE, No. 14-00109, 2025 WL 3459086 (D.D.C. Dec. 2, 2025) (Mehta, J.)
Long v. ICE, No. 14-00109, 2025 WL 3459086 (D.D.C. Dec. 2, 2025) (Mehta, J.)
Re: Requests for “‘complete set of documentation’” on two databases used by ICE and CBP as well as “‘snapshots’” of data contained within one of the databases
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Waiver of Exemptions in Litigation: “Before...
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...