Court Decisions

Williams & Connolly, LLP v. DHS, No. 24-2322, 2025 WL 3039859 (D.D.C. Oct. 31, 2025) (Friedman, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning individual that plaintiff alleges testified at trial in exchange for immigration benefits

Disposition:  Granting defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment

• Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing...

Levigne v. Sides, No. 25-1816, 2025 WL 3055178 (W.D. Wash. Oct. 31, 2025) (Evanson, J.)

Re: Issue surrounding incident involving plaintiff

Disposition:  Dismissing plaintiff’s FOIA claim

• Litigation Considerations, Pleadings:  The court finds that “while the complaint contains a single reference to FOIA, it alleges no facts supporting a FOIA claim or indicating that Plaintiff has met FOIA’s...

Conte v. FBI, No. 23-3729, 2025 WL 3037877 (D.D.C. Oct. 30, 2025) (Kelly, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning alleged FBI confidential human source

Disposition:  Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment

• Litigation Considerations, Evidentiary Showing, Declarations & In Camera Inspection: The court finds that, “[f]or the reasons explained in...

Ecological Rts. Found. v. U.S. Army Corps of Eng’rs, No. 23-05309, 2025 WL 3022853 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 29, 2025) (Chesney, J.)

Re:  Request for records concerning certain dams and hydropower facilities

Disposition:  Granting in part and denying in part plaintiff’s motion for attorney fees and costs; awarding plaintiff $145,863.70 in attorney fees and $792.46 in costs

• Litigation Considerations, Exhaustion...

New Orleans Navy Hous., LLC v. U.S. Dep’t of Navy, No. 25-363, 2025 WL 2997382 (E.D. La. Oct. 24, 2025) (Africk, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning Military Housing Privatization Initiative

Disposition:  Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment

• Exemption 5, Deliberative Process Privilege & Attorney-Client Privilege:  “[T]he Court holds that the Navy has met its burden of demonstrating...

Levitt v. IRS, No. 25-949, 2025 WL 2987881 (N.D. Ala. Oct. 23, 2025) (Carney Axon, J.)

Re: Request for tax records concerning his client

Disposition:  Dismissing action without prejudice

• Litigation Considerations, Standing:  The court relates that “[plaintiff] is an attorney, and he represents Potts Mountain Reserve IP, LLC.”  “[Plaintiff] filed a FOIA request with the IRS on behalf of Potts Mountain...

Oceana, Inc. v. Nat’l Marine Fisheries Serv., No. 24-10929, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 209235 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 22, 2025) (Staton, J.)

Re: Request for high-resolution photos and videos of bycatch from West Coast Region Program for California set gillnet fishery and Groundfish Program for California halibut trawl sector

Disposition:  Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; granting plaintiff’s...

Malik v. DHS, No. 22-0698, 2025 WL 2970431 (D.D.C. Oct. 22, 2025) (Cooper, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning incident between plaintiff and federal immigration officers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Disposition:  Granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment

• Exemption 7, Threshold:  The court finds that, “[w]hile USCIS previously failed to show that the Memo for the Record was...

Campaign for Accountability v. DOJ, No. 24-5163, 2025 WL 2942433 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 17, 2025) (Pan, J.)

Re: Request for judgment that OLC’s formal, written opinions resolving interagency disputes are subject to FOIA’s reading-room provision

Disposition:  Affirming in part and reversing and remanding in part district court’s grant in part and denial in part of government’s motion to dismiss, and denial...

Husch Blackwell LLP v. Dep’t of Com., No. 24-2733, 2025 WL 2959639 (D.D.C. Oct. 17, 2025) (Bates, J.)

Re: Request for records concerning addition of two foreign corporations to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) export restrictions list

Disposition:  Denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment; denying plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment

• Exemption 1: The court relates that “BIS...