Below is a summary of the notable FOIA court decisions and news from last month, as well as a look ahead to FOIA events in December.

Court decisions

We identified and posted 11 decisions in November. Of note—for its length at least—is the 79-page opinion issued in Washington Blade v. DOL (D.D.C. Nov. 4, 2024), which devotes two dozen pages to the government’s foreseeable harm explanations (accepting most of them for the deliberative process privilege, but not for attorney-client privilege).

Top news

On November 7, 2024, the Chief FOIA Officers Council met for the second time this year. See a recap from OGIS here.

The 50th anniversary of the 1974 FOIA amendments was observed on November 1, 2024, with panel discussions and a job fair at George Washington University Law School.

December calendar

Dec. 4, 2024: DOJ/OIP Procedural Requirements and Fees Training

Dec. 5, 2024: FOIA Advisory Committee meeting

Dec. 6, 2024: Nomination deadline for DOJs 2025 Sunshine Week FOIA Awards

Dec. 11, 2024: DOJ/OIP Exemption 1 and Exemption 7 Training

Dec. 11-12, 2024: FOIA Love comedy and bluegrass show, Washington, DC