Opinion ID: 546873
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Standard of Review for

Text: Exemption 3 23 In examining the FOIA request made in Sims, the Supreme Court engaged in a two-prong review. First, is the statute in question a statute of exemption as contemplated by exemption 3? See Sims, 471 U.S. at 167, 105 S.Ct. at 1886. Second, does the withheld material satisfy the criteria of the exemption statute? In Sims, the Court decided that section 403(d)(3) is an exemption statute because it refers to particular types of matters that are to be withheld. Id. at 167, 105 S.Ct. at 1887. See 50 U.S.C. Sec. 403(d)(3); 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552(b)(3)(B). This conclusion is supported by the plain meaning of the statute, by the legislative history of FOIA, and by every federal court of appeals that has considered the matter. See Sims, 471 U.S. at 167-68 & n. 12, 105 S.Ct. at 1887 & n. 12; Miller v. Casey, 730 F.2d 773, 777 (D.C.Cir.1984); Gardels v. CIA, 689 F.2d 1100, 1103 (D.C.Cir.1982); Halperin v. CIA, 629 F.2d 144, 147 & n. 7 (D.C.Cir.1980); National Comm'n on Law Enforcement and Social Justice v. CIA, 576 F.2d 1373, 1376 (9th Cir.1978). There is thus no doubt that section 403(d)(3) is a proper exemption statute under exemption 3. 24 As we proceed to consider Fitzgibbon's appeal under the second Sims prong--does the material meet the statutory criteria?--we must bear in mind, as we have recently noted, that [e]xemption 3 presents considerations distinct and apart from the other eight exemptions. Association of Retired R.R. Workers v. United States R.R. Retirement Bd., 830 F.2d 331, 336 (D.C.Cir.1987). As we said in Retired Railroad Workers: 25 Exemption 3 differs from other FOIA exemptions in that its applicability depends less on the detailed factual contents of specific documents; the sole issue for decision is the existence of a relevant statute and the inclusion of withheld material within the statute's coverage. The required scope of review is further narrowed in the case of statutes falling within B-2 [the second part of exemption 3, that the statute refers to particular types of matters to be withheld] because the congressional intent to withhold is made manifest in the withholding statute itself. 26 Id. at 336 (quoting Goland v. CIA, 607 F.2d 339, 350 (D.C.Cir.1978), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 927, 100 S.Ct. 1312, 63 L.Ed.2d 759 (1980)). Thus, with respect to Fitzgibbon's exemption 3 claim, our task is to determine whether or not the material withheld falls within the exemption claimed--i.e., whether it relates to intelligence sources and methods. See Knight v. CIA, 872 F.2d 660, 664 (5th Cir.1989), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 1296, 108 L.Ed.2d 474 (1990); Miller, 730 F.2d at 776; Hayden v. NSA, 608 F.2d 1381, 1387 (D.C.Cir.1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 937, 100 S.Ct. 2156, 64 L.Ed.2d 790 (1980). In the course of discharging this task, naturally, we accord substantial weight and due consideration to the CIA's affidavits. See King v. Department of Justice, 830 F.2d 210, 217 (D.C.Cir.1987); Goldberg v. Department of State, 818 F.2d 71, 77 (D.C.Cir.1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 904, 108 S.Ct. 1075, 99 L.Ed.2d 234 (1988); Miller, 730 F.2d at 776.