Exemptions

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion for summary judgment Wednesday in a federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, opposing the release of documents regarding the CIA's use of “targeted killings.”

A federal appellate court ruled against a government agency that released only documents officials decided were relevant in a federal Freedom of Information Act request that sought all documents regarding a trade agreement.

In an unpublished memorandum opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco (9th Cir.) reversed a lower court's decision on Friday that the Office of U.S. Trade Representative could withhold documents requested by the Center for Biological Diversity.

A U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the federal Freedom of Information Act requires the FBI to disclose to an attorney representing a Texas death row inmate whether it has records that could corroborate his client’s claims of innocence.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by a coalition of banks in their attempt to block the Federal Reserve from releasing to the news media information about emergency federal bailout funds they received.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in New York City (2nd Cir.) previously ordered disclosure of the information under the federal Freedom of Information Act to Bloomberg LP and Fox News Network LLC. As of Tuesday, Bloomberg said it has not yet received the requested documents.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the concept of corporate personal privacy in its decision today in FCC v. AT&T, Inc. AT&T sued to keep records withheld from disclosure under Exemption 7(c) of the Freedom of Information Act, which protects against the unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. AT&T claimed personal privacy protections extend to corporations. In a unanimous decision, the court held that Exemption 7(c) applied to individuals only.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in New York (2nd Cir.) affirmed a lower court’s ruling Tuesday that the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal in a case over whether the Navy must release information related to military weapon caches near communities in Washington state under the Freedom of Information Act.

A federal judge in New York has decided that he lacks the authority to order the government to disclose information regarding the treatment of Sept. 11 detainees – even if the government’s actions were unlawful.

“Courts are not invested with the competence to second-guess the CIA Director regarding the appropriateness of any particular intelligence source or method,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.

A federal appeals court yesterday ruled in favor of two defense contractors seeking to stop the government from releasing information about their quality control processes on the grounds that the documents reveal trade secrets.