The federal Freedom of Information Act contains nine exemptions to disclosure. The courts narrowly construe these exemptions in favor of disclosure of the relevant documents. The courts review administrative decisions to withhold requested documents more rigorously than other types of administrative decisions. In most instances, the exemptions authorize but do not require an agency to withhold documents falling under one of the exemptions. The two principal examples of instances in which an exemption must be claimed are national security information and the release of documents, which would invade personal privacy.
Political accountability rests upon the right of free expression and the right of free association.
These rights allow citizens to organize, to advocate and to challenge the decisions of the government representing them. These rights allow them to affect political change. In the case of political speech, the lack of information about the government policies at issue reduces the credibility of the speaker and diminishes the value of the right to speak. Without information about government decisions and the implications of these decisions, the impetus for association is also abridged. Likewise, legal accountability, through appeal to the courts, requires information about government policies and practices.