FOIA provides, [ ] that an "agency, upon any request for records which (i) reasonably describes such records and (ii) is made in accordance with published rules ..., shall make the records promptly available to any person." 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3)(A) (2013). New York Times Co. v. US Dept. of Justice, 752 F. 3d 123 (2nd Cir. 2014).
The Freedom of Information Act "implement[s] a general philosophy of full agency disclosure." U.S. Dep't of Justice v. Reporters Comm. for Freedom of the Press, 489 U.S. 749, 754, 109 S.Ct. 1468, 103 L.Ed.2d 774 (1989) (internal quotation marks omitted). The statute "requires every federal agency, upon request, to make 'promptly available to any person' any 'records' so long as the request 'reasonably describes such records.'" Assassination Archives & Research Ctr. v. CIA, 334 F.3d 55, 57 (D.C.Cir.2003) (quoting 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(3)). Agencies have "a duty to construe a FOIA request liberally." Nation Magazine v. U.S. Customs Serv., 71 F.3d 885, 890 (D.C.Cir.1995). An agency can withhold or redact documents only if the information falls within one of nine statutory exemptions. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(1)-(9). The agency bears the burden of establishing that an exemption applies. Reporters Comm., 489 U.S. at 755, 109 S.Ct. 1468. An agency ordinarily must search for any documents responsive to the request, and must "disclose all reasonably segregable, nonexempt portions of the requested record(s)." Assassination Archives, 334 F.3d at 58 (citing 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)). People for Ethical Treatment of Animals v. NIH, 745 F. 3d 535 (DC Cir. 2014).
THIS CASEBOOK contains a selection of 40 U. S. Court of Appeals decisions that analyze and interpret provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The selection of decisions spans from January 2012 to the date of publication.