Opinion ID: 774052
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendants' Reliance on Exemptions

Text: 39 Rugiero claims that the district court erred by failing to analyze the claims of exemption with sufficient specificity and detail as required by the Act. Defendants dismiss this argument as simply rehashing claims of bad faith. The government's position overlooks this court's obligation to review the affidavits, declarations, and Vaughn indices of agencies to ensure compliance with the Act. Ingle, 698 F.2d at 265. In none of the orders granting defendants' motions for summary judgment did the district court scrutinize the claims for exemption in the affidavits produced by the agencies. Although the government remains entitled to a presumption of regularity absent a showing of bad faith, the role of the district court is to review the adequacy of the affidavits. Id. If the Government fairly describes the content of the material withheld and adequately states its grounds for nondisclosure, and if those grounds are reasonable and consistent with the applicable law, the district court should uphold the government's position. Id. (quoting Cox, 576 F.2d at 1312). This standard demands that the district court review the affidavits justifying the withholding of documents responsive to a FOIA request against the law governing application of the Act's exemptions. The record gives no indication that the district court did this. Accordingly, we are forced to conclude the district court erred in failing to review the adequacy of the grounds for nondisclosure stated in the affidavits as required by Ingle. 40 Upon review of the agencies' affidavits, we conclude that only one defendant applied incorrect legal standards in withholding some documents responsive to Rugiero's FOIA request. The DEA identified 399 pages of responsive material, redacted 102, and withheld 288 in their entirety. The agency relied on section 552(b)(2) to withhold violator identifiers; on the exception in section 552(b)(7)(C) to withhold identifying information on agents, personnel, and third parties after balancing the privacy interests against public disclosure; and on section 552(b)(7)(F) to withhold information about DEA agents. With respect to these matters, the affidavit adequately describes the content of the material withheld and applies the governing legal standards for nondisclosure under these exceptions properly. The agency's Vaughn index adequately describes responsive documents and the content of material withheld. In applying the exception in section 552(b)(7)(D), relating to confidential sources, however, the DEA's affidavit indicates that the agency withheld information on two types of informants: (1)those assigned an internal Cooperating Individual Code after receiving express assurances of confidentiality; and (2)those who received implied assurances of confidentiality pursuant to agency policy, which treats the circumstances of the interview itself [as] creat[ing] an atmosphere in which a promise of confidentiality is understood. 41 Pursuant to Landano, the agency properly withheld information on those who received express assurances of confidentiality. In contrast, the affidavit indicates that the DEA has adopted a blanket rule that any informant who has not received an express assurance of confidentiality will be treated as having received an implied promise of confidentiality.Landano does not countenance such a uniform policy, requiring instead that the agency assess confidentiality based on the particular circumstances applicable to each source. Accordingly, the DEA has applied an incorrect standard to confidential informants falling in the second category identified in its affidavit. The DEA's Vaughn index fails to distinguish between these types of confidential sources, necessitating review of all documents the DEA has withheld in full or in part based on this exception. On remand, the district court should take whatever measures it deems appropriate to ensure that the DEA has complied with Landano in responding to Rugiero's FOIA request, taking into account that a bald assertion that express assurances were given amounts to little more than recitation of the statutory standard, which we have held is insufficient.Billington v. United States Dep't of Justice, 233 F.3d 581, 584 (D.C. Cir. 2000) (citing Campbell, 164 F.3d at 30). The DEA cannot rely on conclusory assertions of compliance with Landano. Rather, the agency must provide assurances that sources in fact received promises of confidentiality before withholding information under section 552(b)(7)(D). 42 The remaining defendants properly applied the governing legal standards and described the responsive documents and materials withheld in sufficient detail to warrant summary judgment. We have reviewed the affidavits and Vaughn indices submitted by each component and are satisfied that each has correctly identified and applied the legal standards governing exemptions from disclosure under the FOIA and described responsive documents with sufficient particularity to allow Rugiero to challenge the withholding of individual documents, as evidenced by the district court's in camera review of Document 2 among others.