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FOIA Introduction

FOIA Basics
- What is the FOIA?
- Who can I send a FOIA request to?
- What are the FOIA exemptions?
- How can I obtain agency records without using the FOIA?
- What does it cost to make a FOIA request?
- What happens after I make a request?
- How can I appeal an adverse response?
- What else should I know?
- What unexpected problems might I encounter?
- Sample FOIA Requests
- Sample FOIA Appeals

Making the FOIA Work for You
Follow a Request Through the FOIA Process (pdf)
Classification of Government Information
Archive's Audits of FOIA Administration
Open Government News
Noteworthy News Stories Made Possible by FOIA Documents
Government Guidance, Directives and Statistics on FOIA
Legislative History of FOIA (coming soon)
Archive's Litigation (coming soon)
International FOIA
FOIA Links

 

Open Government News

2004/06/24
Supreme Court Refuses to Approve the Immunity from Discovery Sought by Vice President Cheney
Remands Case on Energy Task Force
to D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

2004/05/26
The Kissinger Telcons
Archive Celebrates Release of Previously Sequestered Telephone Records

2004/04/30
Presidential Records Act Lawsuit Reconsidered
Archive, Historians Ask Judge to Reconsider Dismissal

2004/04/12
Update: The President's Daily Brief
The Declassified August 6, 2001 PDB and More

2004/04/08
The President's Daily Brief Coverup
Archive Calls for Declassification of the President's Daily Brief

2004/03/11
Librarians/Archivists/Public Interest v. Vice President Cheney
National Security Archive Joins Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Versus Government Secrecy Around Energy Task Force

2003/11/17
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied
The National Security Archive Freedom of Information Act Audit, Part II: The Ten Oldest Pending FOIA Requests

2003/07/04
The Freedom of Information Act on Its 37th Birthday
More than 2 million FOIA requests filed at a yearly cost of just over $1 per citizen.
National Security Archive releases selection of "Top Twenty" news stories based on the FOIA

2003/05/05
Proposed FOIA Exemption for National Security Agency
Proposed FOIA exemption would render secret many valuable records regarding role of NSA in signals sntelligence and cryptology history

2003/03/14
The Ashcroft Memo: "Drastic" Change or "More Thunder Than Lightning"?
The National Security Archive Freedom of Information Act Audit, Part I: The Ashcroft Memo

2003/02/26
Homeland Security Access Regulations Need Improvement
National Security Archive files comments on new department's FOIA rules, Suggests eight specific changes and commends initial progress

2003/02/05
Supreme Court Case Poses Risk to Freedom of Expression
Archive files amicus brief to defend broad disclosure

2002/02/11
Archive Hails Final Turnover of Kissinger Telcons
GWU Group Persuades National Archives to Recover Telephone Transcripts

2001/11/28
Historians, Public Interest Groups Sue to Stop Bush Order
Say new restrictions on White House files violate Presidential Records Act

2001/08/09
Archive Hails Turnover of Kissinger Papers

Archive persuades State Department to recover telephone transcripts

2001/07/04
Analysis of Selected Agencies’ Annual Reports for FOIA for Fiscal Years 1998-2000 (Microsoft PowerPoint, 1.8MB)

2000/09/29
Senate Threatens First Amendment

"Official Secrets" proposal would stifle public debate

2000/08/08
Archive wins Freedom of Information ruling versus CIA

Federal judge rejects CIA’s attempt “neither to confirm or deny” existence of CIA biographies of former Communist leaders

2000/08/02
Lawsuit calls CIA secrecy claims "facially incredible"

Archive challenges CIA stonewalling on 50-year-old operations in Iran, Italy

2000/07/17
The "Death Squad Protection" Act

Senate measure would restrict public access to crucial human rights information in DIA "operational files

2000/06/29
New FOIA Exemption Proposed by Senate

Proposed Freedom of Information Act exemption would restrict public access to crucial human rights information

1999/05/13
Archive Sues CIA

Cites broken promises on declassification

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