Opinion ID: 393935
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: applicability of exemption (7)(c) to the name check summaries

Text: 32 The primary issue presented here for our review is whether the District Court erred in upholding the nondisclosure of certain documents pursuant to Exemption (7)(C), when it found that the Government had failed to carry its burden of proof in demonstrating that the withheld documents were compiled for law enforcement purposes. 33 Petitioner argues that the District Court's ruling on the application of Exemption (7)(C) was plainly erroneous because the FOIA clearly prohibits the withholding of documents under Exemption (7)(C) unless the documents are found to have been compiled for law enforcement purposes. 34 The Government argues that the District Court correctly concluded that Exemption (7)(C) was properly invoked to justify the withholding of the documents, notwithstanding its finding that the FBI's compilation of the name check summaries was not done for law enforcement purposes. On this point, the Government contends that Exemption (7)(C) is applicable because the name check summaries were based on information contained in documents in FBI files that were originally created for law enforcement purposes. As part of its proof on this point, the Government submitted the affidavit of Special Agent Donahoe; this affidavit indicated that each individual segment of information withheld had been traced in order to verify the specific character of each segment as investigatory material obtained by the FBI in connection with a specific law enforcement purpose. App. at 29. In effect, the Government argues that the District Court's conclusion that the Government had failed to demonstrate that the name check responses were compiled for law enforcement purposes is not fatal to its claim of exemption under section (b)(7)(C). 35 The threshold inquiry regarding any document for which a section (b)(7)(C) exemption is claimed is whether such document has been shown to be an investigatory record, which was compiled for law enforcement purposes. In the Attorney General's Memorandum on the 1974 Amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, published in February of 1975 as a guideline for the implementation of the Act, a three-pronged test is set out for determining the applicability of section (b)(7)(C) to documents: 36 Once it is determined that (the threshold requirements of) investigatory record (and) compiled for law enforcement purposes (have been met), the next question is whether release of the material would involve one of the six types of harm specified in clauses (A) through (F) of amended exemption 7. 15 37 A simple reading of the applicable provisions of the FOIA plainly supports this interpretative memorandum by the Attorney General. Thus, it is axiomatic that any consideration of whether disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy is premature until the documents in issue have been shown by the Government to be investigatory records which were compiled for law enforcement purposes. 38 Moreover, the Government agency bears the full burden of proof in establishing that the requirements of an exemption have been met before it can withhold a requested document from disclosure. Jordan v. United States Department of Justice, 591 F.2d 753, 779 (D.C.Cir.1978) (en banc). See also Exxon Corp. v. Federal Trade Commission, No. 79-1995, slip op. at 11 (D.C.Cir. Oct. 3, 1980). The District Court, having properly concluded that the Government failed to sustain its burden of demonstrating that the documents were compiled for law enforcement purposes, erroneously extended its analysis in finding that disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. These two rulings, when taken together, are inconsistent with the plain mandate of the FOIA. We hold that the name check summaries, which the District Court found were compiled solely for use by the White House for purposes having nothing whatsoever to do with law enforcement, were improperly withheld under the FOIA. 39