Opinion ID: 421806
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Deliberative nature of documents.

Text: 47 If, on remand, the District Court finds that the documents did play a role in some agency decisionmaking process, the documents must yet be shown to be deliberative to be protected under Exemption 5. It is well established that purely factual material which is severable from the opinion or policy advice in a document is generally not protected and must be disclosed in a FOIA suit. See EPA v. Mink, supra, 410 U.S. at 91, 93 S.Ct. at 838; Mead Data Central, Inc. v. Dep't of the Air Force, 566 F.2d 242, 260-261 (D.C.Cir.1977); K. DAVIS, ADMINISTRATIVE LAW §§ 5:33, 5:34, at 404-407 (2d ed. 1978). However, even factual material may come within Exemption 5 if the manner of selecting or presenting those facts would reveal the deliberative process, or if the facts are 'inextricably intertwined' with the policymaking process. Ryan v. Dep't of Justice, supra, 617 F.2d at 790 ( quoting Soucie v. David, 448 F.2d 1067, 1078 (D.C.Cir.1971)) (footnotes omitted). 56 But this exception cannot be read so broadly as to undermine the basic rule; in most situations factual summaries prepared for informational purposes will not reveal deliberative processes and hence should be disclosed. See, e.g., ITT World Communications, Inc. v. FCC, 699 F.2d 1219, 1239 (D.C.Cir.1983); Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Dep't of Justice, 677 F.2d 931 (D.C.Cir.1982). 48 From the Vaughn indices submitted, most of the requested documents do appear to be straightforward, factual summaries of meetings and phone conversations between SSCI and CIA staff personnel. However, because of its holding on the Speech or Debate Clause issue, the District Court declined to make findings as to the nature or segregability of the information contained in these documents. Therefore, on remand [229 U.S.App.D.C. 386] the court is directed to determine precisely which documents or portions thereof should be released as severable factual material whose disclosure would not reveal the deliberative process. 49