New York Times Co. v. United States Department of Defense

499 F. Supp. 2d 501, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47904, 2007 WL 1946574
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJune 28, 2007
Docket06 Civ. 1553(RMB)
StatusPublished
Cited by65 cases

This text of 499 F. Supp. 2d 501 (New York Times Co. v. United States Department of Defense) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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New York Times Co. v. United States Department of Defense, 499 F. Supp. 2d 501, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47904, 2007 WL 1946574 (S.D.N.Y. 2007).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

BERMAN, District Judge.

I. Background

On or about April 26, 2006, the New York Times Company (“Plaintiff’ or “New York Times”) filed an amended complaint (“Amended Complaint”) challenging the denial by the United States Department of Defense (“DOD”) and the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ” and, collectively, “Defendants”) of Plaintiffs request for the release of certain documents pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 et seq. (“FOIA”). (See Amended Complaint (“ArmCompl.”).) Plaintiff argues that Defendants have “asserted no lawful basis under FOIA” for withholding the requested documents and asks the Court to direct the DOD and DOJ to provide the requested materials. (Am. Compl.1HI28, 36, 46.)

*506 Plaintiff initially made its FOIA request, on or about December 16, 2005, seeking “nine enumerated categories of records” related to “a domestic intelligence and wiretap program run by the National Security Agency under the authorization of President Bush,” known as the Terrorist Surveillance Program (“TSP”). (Defendants’ Statement of Material Facts as to Which There is No Genuine Issue (“Def. 56.1 Stmt.”), ¶ 12.) Pursuant to FOIA, Defendants were required to “determine within 20 days ... after the receipt of any such request whether to comply with such request” and “immediately notify the person making such request of such determination and the reasons therefor.” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)®. Defendants “failed to provide the response required by FOIA within the time allowed by the statute.” (Plaintiffs Statement of Material Facts as to Which There is No Genuine Issue (“PL 56.1 Stmt.”), ¶¶ 7, 12.) As a result, Plaintiff was “deemed to have exhausted [its] administrative remedies,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(C)®, and Plaintiff filed its (original) complaint with this Court on or about February 27, 2006. 1

By letter dated May 11, 2006, DOD informed Plaintiff that it had “located two documents responsive to your request” and had referred one of the documents to the National Security Agency (“NSA”) and the second document to DOJ “for processing.” (Def. 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 17.)

By letter dated July 21, 2006, the DOJ Office of Information and Privacy (“OIP”) informed Plaintiff that it was releasing 174 pages of documents, plus two pages with personnel information redacted which “would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy” pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6) (“Exemption 6”). 2 (Def. 56.1Stmt. ¶ 20.) OIP also reported that it was withholding 91 pages plus five “records or categories of records” pursuant to one or more FOIA exemptions, and referring additional documents to other agencies or other DOJ divisions “for processing.” (Def. 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 22-24.) On July 26, 2006, the Criminal Division of DOJ released to Plaintiff one three-page document with redactions referred to it by OIP. (Def. 56.1 Stmt. ¶ 33.) All other documents were withheld pursuant to one or more FOIA exemptions by the DOJ Civil Division, DOJ Office of the Legal Counsel (“OLC”), DOJ Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (“OIPR”), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), or the National Security Agency (“NSA”). (Def. 56.1 Stmt. ¶¶ 26-34.)

On or about November 17, 2006, Defendants moved for summary judgment against Plaintiff, arguing that “[Defendants have met their burden of demonstrating that the withheld records fall within [one or more] FOIA exemptions.” (Defendants’ Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (“Def.Mem.”), at 1, 8.) Specifically, Defendants argue that: (1) a number of the documents have been classified as “TOP SECRET” by the Director of National Intelligence pursuant to Executive Order 12958, as amended on March 25, 2003 (“Classified Documents”), and are exempt pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(1) (“Exemption 1”), as “specifically authorized under criteria established by Executive Order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy” (Def. Mem. at 8, 11); (2) each of the *507 Classified Documents is also exempt pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(3) (“Exemption 3”), as “specifically exempted from disclosure by [a federal] statute” which “establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld” from the public (Def. Mem. at 14); and (3) all of the withheld documents which have not been classified (“Unclassified Documents”), as well as most of the Classified Documents, are exempt pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5) (“Exemption 5”) as inter-agency or intra-agency memo-rand[a] or letters which would not be available by law under “the deliberative process privilege, ... the attorney-work product doctrine, and the presidential communications privilege.” (Def. Mem. at 19.) Defendants also argue that DOD “can show that its search for the requested records was ‘adequate’,” as defined under FOIA. (Def. Mem. at 5 n. 4.)

In support of their summary judgment motion, Defendants submitted nine declarations which, among other things, provide descriptions of Defendants’ document search(es) in response to Plaintiffs FOIA request and which explain Defendants’ determinations to withhold documents under one or more FOIA exemptions. 3 The Bradbury, Negroponte, Baker, and Hardy Declarations were filed (publicly) with re-dactions (and were also made available to the Court in unredacted form “for the Court’s in camera, ex parte review” on May 24, 2007). (Notice of Lodging of Classified Exhibits in Support of Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, dated November 15, 2006, at 1.) Defendants also submitted two so-called Vaughn indexes as exhibits to the Bradbury Declaration (“Bradbury Vaughn Index”) and Pustay Declaration (“Pustay Vaughn Index”), which provide the date, number of pages, and a description of the Unclassified Documents withheld. See Vaughn v. Rosen, 484 F.2d 820 (D.C.Cir.1973).

On or about December 6, 2006, Plaintiff opposed Defendants’ motion and cross-moved for partial summary judgment and certain other relief, arguing that (1) as to *508 the Classified Documents withheld pursuant to Exemption 1, Defendants do not satisfy “their obligation ...

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Bluebook (online)
499 F. Supp. 2d 501, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47904, 2007 WL 1946574, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-york-times-co-v-united-states-department-of-defense-nysd-2007.