We have added 98 documents from 17 FOIA cases filed between October 6, 2019 and October 12, 2019. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- SNYDER v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (filed Oct 11, 2019)
Brad Snyder, a legal historian writing a biography of Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, submitted a FOIA request to the Department of State for records concerning David Niles and Max Lowenthal, proteges of Frankfurter. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request but after hearing nothing further from the agency, Snyder filed suit read more…
We have added 10 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between October 6, 2019 and October 12, 2019. These are associated with 8 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- CAC 2:2017cv03747 — Jason Leopold et al v. Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General et al
- October 11, 2019: JUDGMENT by Judge Consuelo B. Marshall: Consistent with the Court's order regarding the cross-motions for summary judgment, judgment is entered in favor of Plaintiffs regarding: (1) the scope of the FBI's search; (2) the invocation of Exemp tion 5 for DOJ OIP's documents at Bates Nos. 20180517-0000818-820, 20180402-0000085, 20180517-0000008, 20180517-0000074, and 20180517-0000740; FBI documents at Bates Nos. 914 and 919; and DHS documents at Bates Nos. 1 & 8.Judgment is entered in favor of Defendants on all other issues. (MD JS-6, Case Terminated). (shb)
During the month of September 2019 federal district courts saw a total of 75 new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits filed under 5 U.S.C. 552. To place this number in perspective, 75 new filings compares with a monthly average of 70 filings during the last 12 months. This month’s total brought overall FOIA filings on an annual basis for these last 12 months to 845.
The figure below provides a more detailed view of monthly trends during the past five years. The height of each bar reflects the number of filings in that month. To see the actual filing count mouse over any bar. The superimposed line over the bars is the moving 12-month average. It is computed by adding up the 12 months ending at a given month, and then dividing that total by 12 to obtain the monthly average over this period. Mousing over any bar also shows the calculated result for this moving average for that given month.
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We have added 193 documents from 27 FOIA cases filed between September 29, 2019 and October 5, 2019. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- AMERICAN OVERSIGHT v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (filed Oct 1, 2019)
American Oversight submitted two FOIA requests to the Department of State for records. The first FOIA request asked for communications between agency officials and Rudy Giuliani. The second FOIA request asked for communications between agency officials and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch read more…
We have added 15 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between September 29, 2019 and October 5, 2019. These are associated with 14 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- AK 3:2019cv00208 — Gwich'in Steering Committee et al v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al
- September 30, 2019: ORDER granting [14] Motion to Transfer. Signed by Judge H. Russel Holland on 9/30/19. (JLH, COURT STAFF)
BIRD v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE and 13 other new FOIA lawsuits, plus case descriptions
We have added 86 documents from 14 FOIA cases filed between September 22, 2019 and September 28, 2019. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- BIRD v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE (filed Sep 24, 2019)
Kai Bird, a historian and journalist, submitted a FOIA request to the Department of State for records concerning a 1980 cable sent by the U.S. Embassy in Madrid pertaining to an unofficial visit by William Casey, who at the time was Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request but after hearing nothing further from the agency, Bird filed suit read more…
We have added 15 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between September 22, 2019 and September 28, 2019. These are associated with 15 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- CAN 3:2018cv01979 — American Small Business League v. Department of Defense
- September 25, 2019: ORDER ON [127] DEFENDANTS' DISCOVERY LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER 24. Signed by Judge Alsup on 9/25/2019. (whalc2, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 9/25/2019)
We have added 195 documents from 22 FOIA cases filed between September 15, 2019 and September 21, 2019. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- Friends of the Earth v. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (filed Sep 17, 2019)
Friends of the Earth submitted a FOIA request to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for records concerning how the agency processes FOIA requests, particularly fee waivers. The agency acknowledged receipt of the request. The agency disclosed 19 records as part of an interim response read more…
We have added 6 decisions of a procedural or substantive nature filed between September 15, 2019 and September 21, 2019. These are associated with 6 FOIA cases pending in federal district court. Note that because there can be delays between the date a decision is made and when it shows up on PACER, this listing includes only decisions that appeared on PACER during this period.
Click on the date to view the full text of the decision. Click on a case title below to view other details for that case, including links to the docket report and complaint.
- CAN 3:2018cv01979 — American Small Business League v. Department of Defense
- September 15, 2019: ORDER ON [114] MOTION TO CONTINUE HEARING ON DEFENDANTS' MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT UNDER RULE 56(d). Signed by Judge William Alsup. (whalc2, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 9/15/2019)
MULANGU et al v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY and 26 other new FOIA lawsuits
We have added 217 documents from 25 FOIA cases filed between September 8, 2019 and September 14, 2019. Note that there can be delays between the date a case is filed and when it shows up on PACER. If there are filings from this period that have yet to be posted on PACER, this FOIA Project list may not be complete.
Click on a case title below to view details for that case, including links to the associated docket and complaint documents.
- MULANGU et al v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (filed Sep 9, 2019)
On behalf of Deborah Mulangu and Nyankoke Dramou, two asylum applicants, Catholic Charities submitted FOIA requests to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for asylum assessment reports on both of them. The agency acknowledged receipt of the requests but refused to disclose any portion of the assessment reports even those portions that contained factual material read more…
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