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.
Org. of Am. Historians v. OMB, No. 26-01281, 2026 WL 1506704 (D.D.C. May 29, 2026) (McFadden, J.)
Org. of Am. Historians v. OMB, No. 26-01281, 2026 WL 1506704 (D.D.C. May 29, 2026) (McFadden, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning efforts to “‘implement[ ] or coordinat[e] Executive Order 14253 or any directive concerning the presentation of American history’”
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction
- Litigation Considerations, Preliminary Injunctions: The court holds...
Razzoli v. ASR Xpress, No. 25-6307, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117555 (S.D.N.Y. May 28, 2026) (Liman, J.)
Razzoli v. ASR Xpress, No. 25-6307, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117555 (S.D.N.Y. May 28, 2026) (Liman, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning dispute over delivery of seven hundred boxes of celery
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion to dismiss
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The court finds that, “[t]o the extent Plaintiff intends to invoke . . . the [FOIA] . . . , he fails to...
Bal v. U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury’s Off. of Foreign Assets Control, No. 25-212, 2026 WL 1469417 (2d Cir. May 26, 2026) (per curiam)
Bal v. U.S. Dep’t of the Treasury’s Off. of Foreign Assets Control, No. 25-212, 2026 WL 1469417 (2d Cir. May 26, 2026) (per curiam)
Re: Request for records concerning blocked financial transaction
Disposition: Affirming district court’s grant of government’s motion to dismiss and motion for summary judgment
- Procedural Requirements, Entities Subject to the FOIA: The Court of Appeals for the Second...
Res Ipsa Media, LLC v. DOJ, No. 25-2866, 2026 WL 1465478 (D. Md. May 26, 2026) (Abelson, J.)
Res Ipsa Media, LLC v. DOJ, No. 25-2866, 2026 WL 1465478 (D. Md. May 26, 2026) (Abelson, J.)
Re: Request for memorandum allegedly summarizing remarks by Chief Judge James Boasberg of United States District Court for the District of Columbia at meeting of Judicial Conference of the United States
Disposition: Denying plaintiff’s motion to compel answer
- Litigation Considerations, Summary Judgment: “...
McBride v. United Health Grp., Inc., No. 26-3226, 2026 WL 1453605 (S.D.N.Y. May 22, 2026) (Taylor Swain, C.J.)
McBride v. United Health Grp., Inc., No. 26-3226, 2026 WL 1453605 (S.D.N.Y. May 22, 2026) (Taylor Swain, C.J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s requests to produce documents “in order ‘to assist in producing evidence of health wrongdoing’”
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings & Relief: The court finds that “[p]aintiff does not provide any plausible factual support for...
Heritage Found. v. DOJ, No. 24-645, 2026 WL 1429952 (D.D.C. May 21, 2026) (Friedrich, J.)
Heritage Found. v. DOJ, No. 24-645, 2026 WL 1429952 (D.D.C. May 21, 2026) (Friedrich, J.)
Re: Request for certain records from Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s investigation of now-former President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part former President’s motion to intervene
- Litigation Considerations, Standing; Exemption 6; Exemption 7(C): “[T]he Court will permit...
Stevens v. HHS, No. 22-5072, 2026 WL 1430485 (N.D. Ill. May 21, 2026) (Kennelly, J.)
Stevens v. HHS, No. 22-5072, 2026 WL 1430485 (N.D. Ill. May 21, 2026) (Kennelly, J.)
Re: Requests for records concerning member of Congress
Disposition: Denying defendants’ motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s cross-motion for summary judgment
- Litigation Considerations, Adequacy of Search: “The Court . . . denies HHS’s motion for summary judgment regarding [plaintiff’s] request for ‘all...
Goncalves v. Driscoll, No. 25-07242, 2026 WL 1434269 (N.D. Cal. May 21, 2026) (Donato, J.)
Goncalves v. Driscoll, No. 25-07242, 2026 WL 1434269 (N.D. Cal. May 21, 2026) (Donato, J.)
Re: Plaintiff’s request for certain records
Disposition: Dismissing plaintiff’s complaint with leave to amend
- Litigation Considerations, Pleadings: The court relates that “[t]he complaint is a compilation of largely unintelligible statements about a FOIA request that [plaintiff] made to the Army.” “The...
Mora v. CBP, No. 24-3136, 2026 WL 1382677 (D.D.C. May 18, 2026) (Howell, J.)
Mora v. CBP, No. 24-3136, 2026 WL 1382677 (D.D.C. May 18, 2026) (Howell, J.)
Re: Request for plaintiffs’ clients’ or plaintiffs’ own international travel and immigration records
Disposition: Granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiffs’ motions for class certification and discovery
- Litigation Considerations, “Policy or Practice” Claims: The court finds that “defendants’...
Alper v. DOJ, No. 24-1837, 2026 WL 1353821 (D.D.C. May 14, 2026) (Friedrich, J.)
Alper v. DOJ, No. 24-1837, 2026 WL 1353821 (D.D.C. May 14, 2026) (Friedrich, J.)
Re: Request for records concerning investigation of third party
Disposition: Granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s renewed motion for summary judgment
- Exemption 6; Exemption 7(C): “In sum, . . . this Court has ‘engaged in the balancing contemplated by Exemption 7(C)’ and concluded that ‘in the circumstances...