OFF THE WIRE
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Like all federal agencies, the Department of Justice (DOJ) generally
is required under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to disclose
records requested in writing by any person. However, agencies may
withhold information pursuant to nine exemptions and three exclusions
contained in the statute. The FOIA applies only to federal agencies
and does not create a right of access to records held by Congress, the
courts, or by state or local government agencies. Each state has its
own public access laws that should be consulted for access to state
and local records.
Each federal agency is responsible for meeting its FOIA
responsibilities for its own records. A list of Principal FOIA
Contacts At Federal Agencies is available from this site. Likewise,
each Department of Justice component is responsible for processing
FOIA requests for the records that it maintains. Consult the DOJ FOIA
Reference Guide and the List of Individual DOJ Components and FOIA
Contacts if you plan to make a FOIA request to the Department of
Justice. Before making a FOIA request, you should first browse About
DOJ, Press Room, Publications & Documents, and Reading Rooms, which
contain information already available to the public.
2010 Chief FOIA Officer Report for the Department of Justice
