Exemptions

Introduction
FOIA contains a number of exemptions that permit agencies to withhold responsive records or portions thereof in response to a request.

List of Exemptions
Visit the following pages to read about FOIA's exemptions in more detail:
 * Exemption 1
 * Exemption 2
 * Exemption 3
 * Exemption 4
 * Exemption 5
 * Exemption 6
 * Exemption 7
 * Exemption 8
 * Exemption 9

Non-responsiveness not a basis for withholding part of a responsive record
The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has held that the redaction of non-responsive material within records that are otherwise responsive is improper. "[O]nce an agency itself identifies a particular document or collection of material—such as a chain of emails—as a responsive 'record,' the only information the agency may redact from that record is that falling within one of the statutory exemptions."