Legal Opinion
Smallwood v. United States Department of Justice
District Court, District of Columbia
Decided July 19, 2017No. Civil Action No. 2016-1654PublishedCited by 11 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION AND ORDER
CHRISTOPHER R. COOPER, United States District Judge
An attorney makes a Freedom of Information Act request for documents that are of interest to her client, but does not indicate that the request is being made on the client’s behalf. Does the client have standing to file suit challenging the agency’s response to the request? The Court joins numerous of its colleagues in answering no. It will therefore grant the Government’s motion for judgment on the pleadings and dismiss the suit.
I. Background
William Smallwood’s attorney filed a FOIA request seeking documents related to a…
2Cases cited17 opinions
- Lujan v. Defenders of WildlifeSupreme Court of the United States · 1992
- Linda R. S. v. Richard D.Supreme Court of the United States · 1973
- Military Audit Project, Felice D. Cohen, Morton H. Halperin v. William Casey, Director of Central IntelligenceCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1981
- Linda RS v. Richard D.Supreme Court of the United States · 1973
- Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police v. AshcroftDistrict Court, District of Columbia · 2001
12 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by11 opinions
- Ameen v. U.S. Department of StateDistrict Court, District of Columbia · 2021
- Barrack v. United States Department of JusticeDistrict Court, D. Colorado · 2022
- Dumitrascu v. DumitrascuDistrict Court, District of Columbia · 2026
- J.H.C. v. District of ColumbiaDistrict Court, District of Columbia · 2021
- Khan v. Department of Homeland Security (Dhs)District Court, District of Columbia · 2023
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.