The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal law that allows individuals to request specific documents in the possession of federal agencies. I have compiled a list of applicable agencies and their contact information (an excellent search engine for this purpose can also be located at PublicCitizen.org).

FOIA is not so simple that its procedure is obvious or self-evident. First, its name is something of a misnomer. The information is not free of charges, nor is all information possessed by the government free and open for all to see. And further, FOIA does not involve information, but only the physical records and documents possessed. You cannot ask the government a question and expect them to create a document that will answer your question.

To properly make a FOIA request, you will need to know several things. First, a brief history of FOIA (although this might not be necessary, it is important). Second, an understanding of the structure of the law, its exemptions and the procedures it lays out. Instead of reading the entire text, you can read a summary explanation that cuts out the legislative jargon, etc.

The FOIA statute 5 U.S.C. § 552 : for humans and for lawyers or other legal machines (see also the DOJ's FOIA Reference Guide for both)

Once you have understood these explicit features of FOIA, then you can get to the main point of this particular webpage: the implicit practices necessary in making a successful FOIA request. By this, I do not mean to point out that there exist great secrets that are necessary to make a “real” FOIA request. But there are things you should know about the way FOIA works and does not work that are not explained in the word of the law itself. Think of this as the difference between reading how to ride a bicycle and learning how to ride a bicycle. It is necessary to prepare, but to learn how to do is another matter altogether.

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