July 26, 2024

Cabezas v. FBI (D.C. Cir.) -- affirming district court’s decision that: (1) FBI conducted a reasonable search for records concerning plaintiff’s child pornography-related conviction; and (2) FBI properly withheld information pursuant to Exemptions 5, 6, 7(C), and 7(E).

Louise Trauma Ctr. v. USCIS (D. Md.) -- dismissing, as moot, lawsuit seeking records related to the training and performance of asylum officers, because the complaint challenged only the agency’s failure to timely produce records and the agency subsequently produced records, albeit with redactions; ruling that plaintiff could not amend its original complaint via a responsive filing and that it “must first challenge the redactions by appealing to the head of the agency before it seeks a judgment from this Court.”

July 25, 2024

Inst. for Energy Research v. FERC (D.D.C.) -- concluding that FERC properly relied on the deliberative process privilege and Exemption 6 to redact communications exchanged between agency lawyers and White House counsel as part of FOIA consultation process; further finding that foreseeability requirement was met for both exemptions, specifically the “chilling effect” that disclosure would entail, as well as “annoyance, threats, embarrassment” to agency employees.

Summaries of all published opinions issued in 2024 are available here. Earlier opinions are available here.