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.
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...
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...
Ellawendy v. Driscoll, No. 25-5661, 2026 WL 2255444 (9th Cir. Aug. 5, 2026) (per curiam)
Ellawendy v. Driscoll, No. 25-5661, 2026 WL 2255444 (9th Cir. Aug. 5, 2026) (per curiam)
Re: Request for records concerning requester’s resignation
Disposition: Affirming district court’s dismissal of requester’s FOIA claim
- Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit holds that “[t]he district court correctly dismissed [the requester...
Am. Oversight v. DOE, No. 25-2981, 2026 WL 2254433 (D.D.C. Aug. 5, 2026) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Am. Oversight v. DOE, No. 25-2981, 2026 WL 2254433 (D.D.C. Aug. 5, 2026) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Re: Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) challenge to agency notice that required all FOIA requesters with pending requests dated before October 1, 2024 to contact DOE to express their continued interest in material in order for requests to remain open
Disposition: Denying defendants’ motion to dismiss and...
Forum on Open Access to Gov’t Records, Inc. v. Dall. Cnty. Hist. Found.¸ No. 25-2034, 2026 WL 2255253 (N.D. Tex. Aug. 5, 2026) (Boyle, S.J.)
Forum on Open Access to Gov’t Records, Inc. v. Dall. Cnty. Hist. Found.¸ No. 25-2034, 2026 WL 2255253 (N.D. Tex. Aug. 5, 2026) (Boyle, S.J.)
Re: Request for injunction requiring NARA to make certain Zapruder frames (concerning assassination of President John F. Kennedy) publicly available online
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s FOIA cause of action
- Proactive Disclosures...
Driggs v. CIA, No. 25-2177, 2026 WL 2235297 (4th Cir. Aug. 4, 2026) (Diaz, C.J.)
Driggs v. CIA, No. 25-2177, 2026 WL 2235297 (4th Cir. Aug. 4, 2026) (Diaz, C.J.)
Re: Request for records concerning American prisoners of war and government efforts to recover them
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment and denial of requester’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 3: The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit holds that “[t]he...
Carlborg v. DOD, No. 25-5878, 2026 WL 2241785 (9th Cir. Aug. 4, 2026) (per curiam)
Carlborg v. DOD, No. 25-5878, 2026 WL 2241785 (9th Cir. Aug. 4, 2026) (per curiam)
Re: Request for records concerning requester’s involuntary discharge from the military
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other Grounds for Dismissal: The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit holds that “[t]he district...
Citizens Against Donald Trump Inc. v. U.S. Coast Guard, No. 25-01826, 2026 WL 2247762 (E.D. Mo. Aug. 4, 2026) (Clark, J.)
Citizens Against Donald Trump Inc. v. U.S. Coast Guard, No. 25-01826, 2026 WL 2247762 (E.D. Mo. Aug. 4, 2026) (Clark, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning boat strikes that the United States Coast Guard performed in Caribbean waters
Disposition: Denying as moot defendant’s motion to dismiss; dismissing plaintiff’s complaint; denying other motions
- Litigation Considerations, Mootness and Other...
Bartko v. BOP, No. 26-489, 2026 WL 2209843 (D.D.C. July 31, 2026) (Boasberg, C.J.)
Bartko v. BOP, No. 26-489, 2026 WL 2209843 (D.D.C. July 31, 2026) (Boasberg, C.J.)
Re: Request for records concerning term of supervised release policy
Disposition: Rejecting plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction
- Litigation Considerations, Preliminary Injunctions: The court finds that “Plaintiff does not cite which provision would entitle him to expedited processing (let alone acknowledge...
Castillo-Payan v. DHS, No. 25-00875, 2026 WL 2194723 (D. Ariz. July 30, 2026) (Humetewa, J.)
Castillo-Payan v. DHS, No. 25-00875, 2026 WL 2194723 (D. Ariz. July 30, 2026) (Humetewa, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Adequacy of Search: The court finds that, “[i]nitially, although Plaintiff...