Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/535/101/24149/
Timestamp: 2020-08-05 08:14:03
Document Index: 246990978

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 552', '§ 522', '§ 10', '§ 10', '§ 2', '§ 10', '§ 552']

Aviation Consumer Action Project et al. v. C. Langhorne Washburn et al., Appellants, 535 F.2d 101 (D.C. Cir. 1976) :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › D.C. Circuit › 1976 › Aviation Consumer Action Project et al. v. C. Langhorne Washburn et al., Appellants
Aviation Consumer Action Project et al. v. C. Langhorne Washburn et al., Appellants, 535 F.2d 101 (D.C. Cir. 1976)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit - 535 F.2d 101 (D.C. Cir. 1976) Argued Jan. 23, 1976. Decided April 6, 1976. Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc Denied May 21, 1976
This is an appeal from an order of the district court dated September 6, 1974 granting summary judgment to the plaintiffs (appellees), which order declared that exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b) (5), "is inapplicable and cannot be invoked by the defendants (appellants) or their agents or employees as a basis for closing any meeting of the Travel Advisory Board (hereinafter TAB) or any other advisory committee from the public, or for excluding the plaintiffs or any other interested person from any such meeting." The district court's order also declared that exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act, "pertaining to inter-agency and intra-agency memorandums and letters, is inapplicable and cannot be invoked by defendants (appellants) or their agents or employees as to documents which have been voluntarily disclosed by the agency to members of an advisory committee who are not full-time officers or employees of the Federal government." The appellants contend that the district court erred in holding that exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act cannot be asserted as a basis for closing an advisory committee meeting under section 10(d) of the Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. I. The appellants further contend that even if the district court did not err in holding exemption five inapplicable to TAB meetings, the order is over-broad in that it applies to meetings of advisory committees in the Department of Commerce other than the TAB.
The factual background leading to this lawsuit can be summarized as follows. Chairman Washburn determined that the TAB should conduct a meeting on September 25, 1973 and that one item that should be placed on the agenda for discussion at that meeting was a memorandum dated August 31, 1973, prepared by Michael Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tourism, which memorandum was sent to Mr. Washburn. This memorandum summarized various proposals and recommendations developed within the USTS relating to future planning of USTS programs, policies and objectives. Chairman Washburn determined that the memorandum was an intra-agency memorandum within the meaning of exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act and that therefore the portion of the TAB meeting concerning the memorandum should be closed to the public. Therefore, pursuant to section 10(d) of the Advisory Committee Act, Mr. Washburn sought a determination by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration that the meeting concerned matters listed in Section 552(b) of Title 5.4 On September 6, 1973, the Assistant Secretary for Administration issued a written finding that "public interest requires that such matters be withheld from disclosure" and determined that the portion of the scheduled September 25, 1973 meeting during which intra-agency communications would be reviewed and discussed by the TAB members should be closed to the public pursuant to exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act and in accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.5 On September 19, 1973, a notice of the September 25 TAB meeting was published in the Federal Register, 38 F.R. 26222. The notice stated that following a general open session to review and discuss USTS programs and activities there would be a closed executive session to discuss internal memoranda relating to proposed revisions of future programs, objectives and plans. The notice further stated that the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration had determined that these matters fell within section 552(b) (5) of Title 5 and, accordingly, discussion of these memoranda should be closed pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. (App. 38).
(a) (1) Each advisory committee meeting shall be open to the public.
(d) Subsections (a) (1) and (a) (3) of this section shall not apply to any advisory committee meeting which the President, or the head of the agency to which the the advisory committee reports, determines is concerned with matters listed in section 552(b) of Title 5. Any such determination shall be in writing and shall contain the reasons for such determination. If such a determination is made, the advisory committee shall issue a report at least annually setting forth a summary of its activities and such related matters as would be informative to the public consistent with the policy of section 552(b) of Title 5.
(1) (A) specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and (B) are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order;(2) related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency;
When a statute is clear and unequivocal on its face, as are the sections of the Acts now before the Court, it has been said that there is no necessity to resort to the legislative history of the Act but that the decision as to its meaning may rest on the words of the statute itself. United States v. Oregon, 366 U.S. 643, 648, 81 S. Ct. 1278, 1281, 6 L. Ed. 2d 575, 579 (1961); Packard Motor Car Co. v. NLRB, 330 U.S. 485, 492, 67 S. Ct. 789, 793, 91 L. Ed. 1040, 1050 (1947); Calvert Cliffs' Coordinating Comm. v. United States AEC, 146 U.S.App.D.C. 33, 449 F.2d 1109, 1126 (1971); Shackleford v. United States, 127 U.S.App.D.C. 285, 383 F.2d 212, 215 (1967). However, the plain meaning doctrine has always been considered subservient to a truly discernible legislative purpose. Wilderness Society v. Morton, 156 U.S.App.D.C. 121, 479 F.2d 842, 855 (en banc), cert. denied 411 U.S. 917, 93 S. Ct. 1550, 36 L. Ed. 2d 309 (1973). The use of the legislative history to determine Congressional purpose is appropriate where the words of the statute are ambiguous or the literal words of the statute would bring about an end completely at variance with the purpose of the Act. United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California, 345 U.S. 295, 315, 73 S. Ct. 706, 717, 97 L. Ed. 1020, 1037 (1953); District of Columbia National Bank v. District of Columbia, 121 U.S.App.D.C. 196, 348 F.2d 808, 810 (1965).
Appellees also contend that if exemption five does apply to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, once a memorandum is disclosed to a member of an advisory committee, that memorandum can no longer be considered an inter-agency or intra-agency memorandum. Appellees argue that members of an advisory committee are members of the public and disclosure to an advisory committee member of such a memorandum makes the memorandum public. This reasoning would completely negate exemption five as applicable to advisory committee meetings. Such a conclusion flies directly in the face of Congressional intent as clearly set forth in the words of the Act. Furthermore, a prior decision of this Court held that reports prepared by an advisory committee, which reports were submitted to the agency, were intra-agency memorandums subject to exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act. Washington Research Projects, Inc. v. HEW, 164 U.S.App.D.C. 169, 504 F.2d 238 (1974), cert. denied 421 U.S. 963, 95 S. Ct. 1951, 44 L. Ed. 2d 450 (1975). Here, we are concerned with a memorandum prepared by the agency and shown to the advisory committee. A fortiori, an intra-agency memorandum supplied by the agency to an advisory committee, is subject to exemption five of the Freedom of Information Act.7 The policy behind exemption five is particularly applicable to advisory committees, whose sole function is to advise the agency. The exemption is designed to encourage a free and candid exchange of ideas during the process of decision-making and to prevent predecisional disclosure of incipient policy or decisions that could disrupt agency procedures. NLRB v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 421 U.S. 132, 95 S. Ct. 1504, 44 L. Ed. 2d 29 (1975); Renegotiation Board v. Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp., 421 U.S. 168, 95 S. Ct. 1491, 44 L. Ed. 2d 57 (1975); Soucie v. David, 145 U.S.App.D.C. 144, 448 F.2d 1067, 1077 (1971); Ackerly v. Ley, 137 U.S.App.D.C. 133, 420 F.2d 1336, 1341 (1969). We therefore decline to hold that the mere disclosure of an intra-agency memorandum to an advisory committee makes the memorandum public information to which exemption five is inapplicable.
Appellees voice concern that exemption five will be abused so that all advisory committee meetings will be closed to the public. The record reveals that there have been more than twenty meetings of the TAB and only on three occasions have portions of the meetings been closed to the public.8 There is nothing in this record which indicates that there has been an abuse of exemption five, 5 U.S.C. § 522(b) (5).
The appellants further contend that the district court's order is overbroad in that certain provisions of the relief granted to the appellees apply to all advisory committees within the Commerce Department rather than being limited to the TAB.9 Appellants are particularly concerned with paragraph five of the district court's order which states that "except for emergency meetings, the requirement of Section 10(a) (2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, that timely advance public notice be given by defendants of each meeting of the TAB or any of their other advisory committees, is not met by any notice not published at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting."10 Appellants point out that some advisory committees within the Department of Commerce meet on a monthly basis, and that the date of the next monthly meeting is set by the committee at its current meeting, which date is often less than thirty days away. They contend that in such situations the thirty day notice requirement presents an unnecessary procedural obstacle to some advisory committees. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. I § 10(a) (2)) provides that:
Injunctive relief granted to a party in a lawsuit must be framed to remedy the harm claimed by the party. Hartford-Empire Co. v. United States,323 U.S. 386, 410, 65 S. Ct. 373, 385, 89 L. Ed. 322, 360 (1945). An injunction must be narrowly tailored to remedy the specific harm shown. Davis v. Romney, 490 F.2d 1360, 1370 (3d Cir. 1974); Consolidated Coal Co. v. Disabled Miners of West Virginia, 442 F.2d 1261, 1267 (4th Cir.), cert. denied 404 U.S. 911, 92 S. Ct. 228, 30 L. Ed. 2d 184 (1971). The pleadings in this case, including the appellees' prayers for relief, were limited to the TAB and do not refer to any other advisory committees within the Department of Commerce. An examination of the record shows that all evidence submitted to the district court was limited to the TAB. There was, therefore, no evidence in the record before the district court which could serve as a basis for injunctive relief concerning any advisory committee in the Department of Commerce other than the TAB. We are therefore of the opinion that the district court's order is overbroad insofar as it applies to advisory committees other than the TAB.
Given the broadest possible interpretation, Exemption 5 relating to "inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums" could, as appellees predict, gut the open meeting provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.1 The rubric of "inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums" can conceivably be stretched to include all communications between agency and advisory committee concerning policy advice. Premising their argument on such an expansive reading, appellees argued that Exemption 5 was "inherently inconsistent" with the legislative policy behind the Act and demanded that it be judicially excised. That the panel refused to read Exemption 5 out of the statute entirely does not so misstate applicable law as to merit rehearing en banc. Cf. FAA Administrator v. Robertson, 422 U.S. 255, 95 S. Ct. 2140, 45 L. Ed. 2d 164 (1975).
On the other hand, preserving the open meeting requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act is indisputably a matter of "exceptional importance." F.R.A.P. 35(a) (2). The Act is a vital first step toward opening up to public scrutiny and participation levels of agency decisionmaking where public policy begins to take shape. That promotes peer review by other experts steeped in the subject-matter as well as oversight by the public. See Ethyl Corp. v. EPA, --- F.2d ---- (1976) (Bazelon, C. J., concurring).
The parties here did not urge, and the court did not consider, a narrowing construction of Exemption 5 in the context of the Advisory Committee Act.2 The panel opinion does not, for example, foreclose the possibility that a specific, pre-existing document qualifying as an "inter-agency or intra-agency memorandum" before it is passed to the advisory committee may be necessary to trigger the exemption. See Nader v. Dunlop, 370 F. Supp. 177, 180 (D.D.C. 1973).3 Nor does it decide whether a committee discussion of the same subject matter as that covered in an exempt memorandum, which discussion does not or need not involve the specific contents of the memorandum, is "concerned with matters" exempt under § 10(d). Finally it is not decided whether "reasonably segregable" portions of meetings concerned with non-exempt matters must remain public. Nader v. Dunlop, supra, 370 F. Supp. at 179.
Charter of Travel Advisory Board, App. 33, 5 U.S.C. App. I §§ 2(b) (6) and 9(b)
As provided in section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, P.L. 92-463, I have determined that the portion of the Travel Advisory Board meeting to be held September 25, 1973, during which intra-agency communications of the United States Travel Service will be reviewed and discussed, will deal with matters which fall within section 552(b) (5) of Title 5 of the United States Code and the public interest requires such matters to be withheld from disclosure. Premature disclosure of these internal communications, which relate to future plans and programs of the United States Travel Service that are undergoing development and are likely to be revised before they are implemented, could have adverse effects upon both public and private interests. The policy inherent in section 552(b) (5) is to encourage free and candid exchange of ideas and opinions during the process of deliberation and policy and decision making. Such policy applies to the deliberations of the Travel Advisory Board in the same manner it would apply to inter-agency or intra-agency deliberations.
Accordingly, I hereby determine, pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, P.L. 92-463, that the Executive Session portion of the Travel Advisory Board meeting scheduled for September 25, 1973, during which intra-agency communications of the United States Travel Service will be reviewed and discussed shall be exempt from the provisions of sections 10(a) (1) and 10(a) (3) of that Act relating to public participation and record keeping. All other portions of the meeting shall be open to the public. (App. 43).
5 U.S.C. App. I, § 10(a) (Supp. III, 1973). Section 10(d) exempts from the open meeting provisions those meetings "concerned with matters" exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(b) (5) (1970) ("inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums")
For the suggestion that limiting constructions of Exemption 5 are possible, see Perritt & Wilkinson, Open Advisory Committees and the Political Process: The Federal Advisory Committee Act After Two Years, 63 Geo. L.J. 725, 744-745 (1975). But see, Tuerkheimer, Veto by Neglect: The Federal Advisory Committee Act, 25 Am.L.Rev. 53, 66 n.70 (1975)