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.
Bloomberg L.P. v. USPS, No. 23-1005, 2024 WL 4293872 (2d Cir. Sept. 26, 2024) (Pérez, J.)
Bloomberg L.P. v. USPS, No. 23-1005, 2024 WL 4293872 (2d Cir. Sept. 26, 2024) (Pérez, J.)
Re: Request for aggregated, anonymized change-of-address data
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 3: The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit holds that “[t]he withholding statute incorporated into FOIA [Exemption 3] in this case is a...
Mikhashov v. DOD, No. 22-3485, 2024 WL 4332601 (D.D.C. Sept. 26, 2024) (Howell, J.)
Mikhashov v. DOD, No. 22-3485, 2024 WL 4332601 (D.D.C. Sept. 26, 2024) (Howell, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning investigation into possible security violation by plaintiff, as well as possible revocation of plaintiff’s security clearance
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for partial summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations...
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. v. IRS, No. 22-2966, 2024 WL 4298856 (D.D.C. Sept. 26, 2024) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. v. IRS, No. 22-2966, 2024 WL 4298856 (D.D.C. Sept. 26, 2024) (Berman Jackson, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning three tax examinations
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment; granting defendant’s cross-motion for partial summary judgment
- Exemption 5, Deliberative Process Privilege: The court relates that “plaintiff has filed a motion...
Stein v. CIA, No. 17-189, 2024 WL 4298757 (D.D.C. Sept. 26, 2024) (Chutkan, J.)
Stein v. CIA, No. 17-189, 2024 WL 4298757 (D.D.C. Sept. 26, 2024) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Requests for records “‘related to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and presidential transition,’ including ‘information related to background investigations of fifteen individuals reportedly under consideration for senior positions in the Trump administration’”
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion for...
US Inventor, Inc. v. U.S. Patent & Trademark Off., No. 21-2893, 2024 WL 4286102 (D.D.C. Sept. 25, 2024) (Chutkan, J.)
US Inventor, Inc. v. U.S. Patent & Trademark Off., No. 21-2893, 2024 WL 4286102 (D.D.C. Sept. 25, 2024) (Chutkan, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning inter partes review (“IPR”) proceedings involving tribal sovereign immunity and state sovereign immunity
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment; granting defendant’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations...
Marcum v. United States, No. 24-1175, 2024 WL 4294126 (Fed. Cl. Sept. 25, 2024) (Smith, S.J.)
Marcum v. United States, No. 24-1175, 2024 WL 4294126 (Fed. Cl. Sept. 25, 2024) (Smith, S.J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff, certain oaths of office, and certain liability insurance policy information
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Litigation Considerations, Jurisdiction: The court holds that “[it] does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate [plaintiff’s] civil claims...
Gardner v. DOE, No. 24-268, 2024 WL 4286358 (D.N.M. Sept. 25, 2024) (Riggs, J.)
Gardner v. DOE, No. 24-268, 2024 WL 4286358 (D.N.M. Sept. 25, 2024) (Riggs, J.)
Re: Request for letter from private company containing denial of plaintiff’s ex-wife’s security clearance
Disposition: Granting one private defendant’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: “Because the Court has determined that Defendant is a private...
Stonehill v. NARA, No. 22-3391, 2024 WL 4286105 (D.D.C. Sept. 25, 2024) (Nichols, J.)
Stonehill v. NARA, No. 22-3391, 2024 WL 4286105 (D.D.C. Sept. 25, 2024) (Nichols, J.)
Re: Request for records that IRS and DOJ transferred to NARA after tax proceedings against original plaintiff concluded
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting motion to substitute; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing...
Griffin v. Peters, No. 23-1173, 2024 WL 4274846 (D.S.C. Sept. 24, 2024) (Geiger Lewis, J.)
Griffin v. Peters, No. 23-1173, 2024 WL 4274846 (D.S.C. Sept. 24, 2024) (Geiger Lewis, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning plaintiff
Disposition: Adopting magistrate judge’s report and recommendation; dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies: “[T]he Court has carefully reviewed [plaintiff’s] amended complaint and agrees with the Magistrate...
Holt v. DOJ, No. 22-00605, 2024 WL 4277835 (E.D. Ark. Sept. 24, 2024) (Baker, C.J.)
Holt v. DOJ, No. 22-00605, 2024 WL 4277835 (E.D. Ark. Sept. 24, 2024) (Baker, C.J.)
Re: Requests for records that FBI supplied the Security Threat and Terrorist Group (“STTG”) Coordinator at Arkansas Department of Correction
Disposition: Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 1: The court holds that “[t]he FBI properly applied exemption 1.” The court relates that “the FBI...