“freedom of information act”

This page presents an official legal definition of “freedom of information act” from a government source. Additional definitions will be added as jurisdictions publish them.

Jurisdiction: United States United States

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal statute that:

  • Says people generally have a right to request access to federal agency records; and
  • Establishes a presumption that records from agencies and departments of the Executive Branch of the U. S. government are accessible to the people, except when the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.
Source: USCIS Glossary (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)