Freedom of Information Act (United States)

Freedom of Information Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act to amend section 3 of the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 324, of the Act of June 11, 1946 (60 Stat. 238), to clarify and protect the right of the public to information, and for other purposes
Acronyms (colloquial)FOIA
Nicknames
  • Public Information Act of 1966
  • Public Information Availability
Enacted bythe 89th United States Congress
EffectiveJuly 5, 1967
Citations
Public law89-487
Statutes at Large80 Stat. 250
Codification
Acts amendedAdministrative Procedure Act
Titles amended5 U.S.C.: Government Organization and Employees
U.S.C. sections created5 U.S.C. ch. 5, subch. II § 552
Legislative history
Major amendments
  • Privacy Act of 1974, PL 93–579, 88 Stat 1896
  • Government in the Sunshine Act, PL 94–409, 90 Stat 1241
  • Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, PL 99–570, 100 Stat 3207
  • Electronic Freedom of Information Act of 1996
  • The Intelligence Authorization Act of 2002, PL 107-306, 116 Stat 2383
  • OPEN Government Act of 2007, PL 110-175, 121 Stat 2524
  • Wall Street Reform Act of 2010
  • FOIA Improvement Act of 2016
United States Supreme Court cases

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA /ˈfɔɪjə/ FOY-yə), 5 U.S.C. § 552, is the United States federal freedom of information law that requires the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased or uncirculated information and documents controlled by the U.S. government upon request. The act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure procedures, and includes nine exemptions that define categories of information not subject to disclosure.[2][3] The act was intended to make U.S. government agencies' functions more transparent so that the American public could more easily identify problems in government functioning and put pressure on Congress, agency officials, and the president to address them.[4] The FOIA has been changed repeatedly by both the legislative and executive branches.

The FOIA is commonly known for being invoked by news organizations for reporting purposes, though such uses make up less than 10% of all requests—which are more frequently made by businesses, law firms, and individuals.[5]

  1. ^ "To Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 1160, A Bill … – House Vote #277 – Jun 20, 1966".
  2. ^ Branscomb, Anne (1994). Who Owns Information?: From Privacy To Public Access. BasicBooks.
  3. ^ 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(F)
  4. ^ Hickman & Pierce (2014), p. 122.
  5. ^ Schouten, Cory (March 17, 2017). "Who files the most FOIA requests? It's not who you think". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2019.