USA FOIA is an independent educational resource — not a government agency website.
Browse and search a curated repository of foundational statutes, agency guidance, and landmark court decisions interpreting the Freedom of Information Act.
9 results
5 U.S.C. § 552
The full text of the federal statute establishing the public's right to access agency records, including the nine exemptions and procedural requirements.
410 U.S. 73 (1973)
An early Supreme Court decision on Exemption 1, which prompted Congress to amend FOIA in 1974 to allow in camera review of classified records.
546 F.2d 1009 (D.C. Cir. 1976)
Established the 'Glomar response,' allowing an agency to neither confirm nor deny the existence of records where doing so would itself reveal protected information.
489 U.S. 749 (1989)
Defined the 'core purpose' of FOIA and the personal-privacy balancing test under Exemption 7(C) for compiled rap-sheet records.
562 U.S. 562 (2011)
Narrowed Exemption 2 to cover only records related to internal personnel rules and practices, rejecting the broader 'High 2' interpretation.
139 S. Ct. 2356 (2019)
Reshaped Exemption 4 by holding that commercial information is 'confidential' when it is customarily kept private and provided under an assurance of privacy.
Office of Information Policy
Guidance encouraging agencies to post frequently requested and high-interest records online before any individual request is filed.
Procedural Memorandum
An explanatory memorandum on how agencies apply the deliberative-process, attorney-client, and attorney work-product privileges under Exemption 5.
Guidance Note
An overview of when requesters qualify for reduced or waived fees, including news-media status and public-interest fee waivers.
