Supreme Court
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has compiled a list of “Major Supreme Court FOI Act Cases.”
Resources
Freedom
of Information Topics and Federal and State FOI Statutes in The First Amendment Library
Freedom of Information Act — federal statute
Privacy Act of 1974 — federal statute
“A Citizen’s Guide on Using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request Government Records” is a very detailed and user-friendly guide prepared by the Committee on Government Reform and published by the Government Printing Office (Report 108-172).
The “Justice Department Guide to the Freedom of Information Act” (May 2004 report) is an extensive discussion of the act's procedural aspects and exemptions that includes case law interpretations. It is updated by the Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy every two years.
“How to Use the Federal FOI Act” is an excellent guide prepared by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and geared specifically toward journalists.
The DOJ keeps updated links to all other federal agencies’ FOIA Web sites
DOJ also keeps an updated list of principal FOIA contacts at all federal agencies
The DOJ’s Office of Information and Privacy has a FOIA counseling service that answers general questions and helps with determining which agency to approach. Its number is 202/514-3642.
The Federal Citizen Information Center of the U.S. General Services Administration also answers questions about FOIA, advertising that it is “especially prepared to help you find the right agency, the right office and the right address.” Phone 800/333-4636 or e-mail them your questions from this site.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has jurisdiction over most products and provides a helpful guide to the products (and some services) that other agencies oversee.
The State Department’s FY 2003 FOIA Report sums up its efforts to make information available on its FOIA Web site.
The Department of Justice provides a “Summary of Annual FOIA Reports for Fiscal Year 2003”
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has a user-friendly letter generator on its Web site. It prompts you for all relevant information about your request and drafts the letter for you, then allows you to edit it before saving or printing. You must e-mail or mail it yourself.
Nongovernment FOIA groups
Several nonprofit watchdog groups monitor FOIA, including public-interest groups, First Amendment advocates, journalists and libraries. Their Web sites provide updates on FOIA issues in the news as well as their own studies of government secrecy.
OpenTheGovernment.org is a nonprofit coalition of more than 30 organizations working on freedom of information issues. In August 2004 it released its independent study on government classification and secrecy. The group has also compiled a “List of the Ten Most Wanted Documents for 2004.”
George Washington University’s National Security Archive is a good place to start when looking for declassified documents about national security.
OMB Watch posts news, background and analysis on a wide range of information and access issues.
The Citizen Access Project's Web site includes the texts of all freedom-of-information laws enacted in each of the 50 states. It also provides contacts for local organizations involved with open-government issues.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’s “Tapping Officials’ Secrets” is probably the most complete guide to open-government law in the 50 states and District of Columbia.
In addition to its open-government guide, the Reporters Committee has done an in-depth study of electronic access in each state, “a survey of constitutional provisions, statutes, court decisions, attorney general opinions and gubernatorial executive orders concerning access to electronic records.”
The First Amendment Center sponsors the annual National FOI Day conference, a daylong program of speaking and discussion by specialists in various aspects of freedom of information, updating developments in FOI over the preceding year. (See report on the 2004 conference, including yearly updates on the courts, the states and federal legislation.)