Freedom of Information Act

Summary

This practice note provides an overview of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), codified at 5 U.S.C. § 552 et seq. FOIA is a federal statute that mandates public access to certain U.S. government and administrative agency records upon submission of a request to the appropriate federal agency. Under FOIA, any person is afforded access to federal agency records unless such records are exempt or protected from disclosure. Each federal agency promulgates its own administrative regulations that outline administrative procedures for requesting exempt records and implement provisions of FOIA, which readers are encouraged to consult.