FOIA Delays and Clawback Challenges: Courts Tackle Compliance and Disclosure Risks

This week, we cover two legal cases impacting records management. First, the Michigan Supreme Court is set to review a case involving the city of Grand Rapids and its delayed response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The ACLU argues that the city's 13-month delay in providing records on police drone use effectively denied the request, despite a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the city because state law lacks a specific disclosure timeframe. In another significant development, the D.C. Circuit Court will hear arguments in a case concerning the "clawback" of mistakenly disclosed records by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. This case highlights the tension between privacy interests and public disclosure under FOIA. The court previously vacated a clawback order due to a lack of judicial authority, as FOIA does not include provisions for such remedies. The outcome could have substantial implications for how agencies handle inadvertent disclosures. 📚 Sources: https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2026/01/grand-rapids-faces-supreme-court-challenge-over-records-request-response-times.html https://www.foiaadvisor.com/foia-blog/2026/1/23/foia-news-dc-circuit-to-hold-oral-argument-in-foia-clawback