Adam A. Marshall
@a-marshall-plan.bsky.social
I like FOIA and octopuses 🐙 • Director of National Litigation at RCFP • creator of https://foia.wiki • maintain SunshineSky Bluesky feed • he/him/his • alum GW Law, LSE, Kalamazoo College • www.rcfp.org/author/adam-marshall/
Well that's a new take on #FOIA...
gate33checkpoint.com/foia.html
(Credit for finding this goes to FOIA Advisor)
gate33checkpoint.com/foia.html
(Credit for finding this goes to FOIA Advisor)
November 10, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Well that's a new take on #FOIA...
gate33checkpoint.com/foia.html
(Credit for finding this goes to FOIA Advisor)
gate33checkpoint.com/foia.html
(Credit for finding this goes to FOIA Advisor)
UPDATE: I just got one of the emails from DOE. I've screenshotted it below. It doesn't even reference a specific #FOIA request, just links to the Federal Register notice.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
August 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
UPDATE: I just got one of the emails from DOE. I've screenshotted it below. It doesn't even reference a specific #FOIA request, just links to the Federal Register notice.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
The FBI's #FOIA portal (efoia.fbi.gov#home) is down (and has been for a few days, first spotted by @kevinbogardus.bsky.social)
July 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
The FBI's #FOIA portal (efoia.fbi.gov#home) is down (and has been for a few days, first spotted by @kevinbogardus.bsky.social)
From Reuveni's whistleblower disclosure:
"Mr. Reuveni understood this instruction to be based on leadership's aim to avoid generating written material subject to disclosure through FOIA."
Link to disclosure via @nytimes.com: static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics...
"Mr. Reuveni understood this instruction to be based on leadership's aim to avoid generating written material subject to disclosure through FOIA."
Link to disclosure via @nytimes.com: static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics...
June 24, 2025 at 3:57 PM
From Reuveni's whistleblower disclosure:
"Mr. Reuveni understood this instruction to be based on leadership's aim to avoid generating written material subject to disclosure through FOIA."
Link to disclosure via @nytimes.com: static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics...
"Mr. Reuveni understood this instruction to be based on leadership's aim to avoid generating written material subject to disclosure through FOIA."
Link to disclosure via @nytimes.com: static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics...
Things are not going well in the USCIS #FOIA office. According to a status report from the agency yesterday:
"approximately 27% [] of the FOIA positions in the USCIS FOIA office are currently vacant or, due to the voluntary workforce transition programs offered in April 2025, unmanned..."
"approximately 27% [] of the FOIA positions in the USCIS FOIA office are currently vacant or, due to the voluntary workforce transition programs offered in April 2025, unmanned..."
June 18, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Things are not going well in the USCIS #FOIA office. According to a status report from the agency yesterday:
"approximately 27% [] of the FOIA positions in the USCIS FOIA office are currently vacant or, due to the voluntary workforce transition programs offered in April 2025, unmanned..."
"approximately 27% [] of the FOIA positions in the USCIS FOIA office are currently vacant or, due to the voluntary workforce transition programs offered in April 2025, unmanned..."
Hug your dogs tonight. Rest in peace, Finnegan.
June 16, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Hug your dogs tonight. Rest in peace, Finnegan.
Reporters: if you're covering a protest and suspect you may be ketteled/arrested, write important phone numbers on your arm (or use one of @rcfp.org's temporary tattoos with our hotline #!)
June 14, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reporters: if you're covering a protest and suspect you may be ketteled/arrested, write important phone numbers on your arm (or use one of @rcfp.org's temporary tattoos with our hotline #!)
Finally, a note on costs: #FOIA litigation costs and generally processing costs rose to their highest level last year. Much more will need to be spent to bring the government into compliance with the law. Query what is happening in FY25 and which direction things will go....
April 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Finally, a note on costs: #FOIA litigation costs and generally processing costs rose to their highest level last year. Much more will need to be spent to bring the government into compliance with the law. Query what is happening in FY25 and which direction things will go....
During FY2024 (which ended September 2023), there were about 5,628 full time equivalent people working on #FOIA in the federal government. Query what that number is now.... (spoiler, I predict it is lower).
April 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
During FY2024 (which ended September 2023), there were about 5,628 full time equivalent people working on #FOIA in the federal government. Query what that number is now.... (spoiler, I predict it is lower).
Let's not forget #FOIA's exclusions! This is when the government can just lie and say that records responsive to a request don't exist even when they do (see foia.wiki/wiki/%C2%A7_.... The government's use of those exclusions rose 26% in FY2024.
April 30, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Let's not forget #FOIA's exclusions! This is when the government can just lie and say that records responsive to a request don't exist even when they do (see foia.wiki/wiki/%C2%A7_.... The government's use of those exclusions rose 26% in FY2024.
Continuing the theme in other parts of #FOIA for last year, the backlog of administrative appeals grew to its highest number ever, about a 16% increase from FY2023.
April 30, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Continuing the theme in other parts of #FOIA for last year, the backlog of administrative appeals grew to its highest number ever, about a 16% increase from FY2023.
As in years past, the exemptions cited to deny public access to government records in FY2024 are lead by Exemptions 6, 7(C), 7(E), and 5. More info about #FOIA exemptions can be found on the FOIA Wiki: foia.wiki/wiki/Exempti...
April 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM
As in years past, the exemptions cited to deny public access to government records in FY2024 are lead by Exemptions 6, 7(C), 7(E), and 5. More info about #FOIA exemptions can be found on the FOIA Wiki: foia.wiki/wiki/Exempti...
Compare FY2024's denial rate (77%) to FY2023, where the government denied about 72% of all #FOIA requests in part or in full. (chart pulled from last year's report). Both bad, but things are getting worse...
April 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Compare FY2024's denial rate (77%) to FY2023, where the government denied about 72% of all #FOIA requests in part or in full. (chart pulled from last year's report). Both bad, but things are getting worse...
And of the #FOIA requests where records were processed for release, the government denied access in part or in full **77%** of the time. (Note that a "partial" release could be one word released and 100 pages redacted completely).
April 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
And of the #FOIA requests where records were processed for release, the government denied access in part or in full **77%** of the time. (Note that a "partial" release could be one word released and 100 pages redacted completely).
Of the #FOIA requests that were submitted in FY24, the government denied about 80% of them (in part or in full) based on an exemption or for another reason (no records found, claiming the request doesn't reasonably describe records, etc).
April 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Of the #FOIA requests that were submitted in FY24, the government denied about 80% of them (in part or in full) based on an exemption or for another reason (no records found, claiming the request doesn't reasonably describe records, etc).
The average time to process simple track #FOIA requests also increased to almost *40 days* in FY24 (the law requires a determination in 20 working days, for reference). This means that even for the easiest FOIAs the government is not, on average, even close to complying with the law.
April 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
The average time to process simple track #FOIA requests also increased to almost *40 days* in FY24 (the law requires a determination in 20 working days, for reference). This means that even for the easiest FOIAs the government is not, on average, even close to complying with the law.
More bad news on the #FOIA front from last year: processing times increased. The time to make determinations on requests for expedited processing increased to almost 20 days (the law requires a determination in 10 days, for reference).
April 30, 2025 at 1:51 PM
More bad news on the #FOIA front from last year: processing times increased. The time to make determinations on requests for expedited processing increased to almost 20 days (the law requires a determination in 10 days, for reference).
The number of backlogged #FOIA requests grew MASSIVELY in FY2024, up 33% from the previous year. That is really, really bad. Agencies are falling behind even more quickly.
April 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
The number of backlogged #FOIA requests grew MASSIVELY in FY2024, up 33% from the previous year. That is really, really bad. Agencies are falling behind even more quickly.
The number of #FOIA requests processed by all federal agencies increased in FY2024, but not as much as the increase in requests. Therefore.....
April 30, 2025 at 1:47 PM
The number of #FOIA requests processed by all federal agencies increased in FY2024, but not as much as the increase in requests. Therefore.....
🧵 THREAD on the DOJ's just-released summary of #FOIA across the federal government in FY2024 (buckle up for some nerdiness) ⬇️
First up, the number of FOIA requests submitted last year continues to grow--more than **1.5 million**! The public is hungry for records. About a 25% increase from FY2023.
First up, the number of FOIA requests submitted last year continues to grow--more than **1.5 million**! The public is hungry for records. About a 25% increase from FY2023.
April 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
🧵 THREAD on the DOJ's just-released summary of #FOIA across the federal government in FY2024 (buckle up for some nerdiness) ⬇️
First up, the number of FOIA requests submitted last year continues to grow--more than **1.5 million**! The public is hungry for records. About a 25% increase from FY2023.
First up, the number of FOIA requests submitted last year continues to grow--more than **1.5 million**! The public is hungry for records. About a 25% increase from FY2023.
Judge Cooper has ordered expedited discovery against DOGE in @crew.bsky.social's #FOIA case:
www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/u...
www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/u...
April 16, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Judge Cooper has ordered expedited discovery against DOGE in @crew.bsky.social's #FOIA case:
www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/u...
www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/u...
My @rcfp.org colleague Gunita talked to @npr.org about the cuts to #FOIA offices across HHS and the negative ramifications for transparency: www.npr.org/sections/sho...
April 4, 2025 at 2:51 PM
My @rcfp.org colleague Gunita talked to @npr.org about the cuts to #FOIA offices across HHS and the negative ramifications for transparency: www.npr.org/sections/sho...