No. 20-983

Celestino G. Almeda v. Department of Education, et al.

Lower Court: District of Columbia
Docketed: 2021-01-25
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: agency-records deliberative-process-privilege disclosure exemption-5 freedom-of-information-act good-faith-presumption reasonable-person-standard segregable-portions
Key Terms:
Securities
Latest Conference: 2021-03-19
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether publicly-known, purely factual content selected, organized, and recited in an agency's records can be fully withheld from disclosure under the deliberative process privilege in Exemption 5 of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5)

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED The questions presented are: 1. Whether publicly-known, purely factual content selected, organized, and recited in an agency’s records can be fully withheld from disclosure under the deliberative process privilege in Exemption 5 of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5). 2. Whether the presumption of good faith attached to an agency’s representation that it released all “reasonably segregable portion[s] of a record” otherwise withheld from disclosure under the deliberative process privilege, 5 U.S.C. §§ 552(b) & (b)(5), is rebutted by evidence that would warrant a belief by a reasonable person that segregable portions instead were withheld.

Docket Entries

2021-03-22
Petition DENIED.
2021-03-03
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/19/2021.
2021-02-23
Waiver of right of respondent United States Department of Education, et al. to respond filed.
2021-01-15
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due February 24, 2021)

Attorneys

Celestino G. Almeda
Seth Alain WatkinsWATKINS LAW & ADVOCACY, PLLC, Petitioner
Seth Alain WatkinsWATKINS LAW & ADVOCACY, PLLC, Petitioner
United States Department of Education, et al.
Elizabeth B. PrelogarActing Solicitor General, Respondent
Elizabeth B. PrelogarActing Solicitor General, Respondent