FOIA Case Number TSA11-0277 - Letter Regarding Ten Oldest Pending FOIA Requests and Two Oldest Pending FOIA Appeals (Transportation Security Administration) - Exemptions b(2), b(5), b(6)

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Riley

Letter responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) dated December 18, 2011, for copies of administrative processing/tracking materials, including emails, notes, memos, and correspondence related to the ten oldest pending FOIA requests and two oldest pending FOIA appeals (2004-2012). A search located 369 responsive pages, with portions withheld under Exemptions (b)(2), (b)(5), and (b)(6), plus 63 pages withheld in full under (b)(5). Certain content was redacted as non-responsive, and the letter states no fees apply. It also explains appeal procedures and deadlines.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages631

Reading Time26 h 30 min

AccessFree to download

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Response

Request Processing and Responsive Records

Withheld Information and Exemptions (b)(2), (b)(5), (b)(6)

Fees

Administrative Appeal

Description of document: Requested date: Appeal date: Released date: Appeal release: Posted date: Update posted: Source of document: Note: # governmentattic.org “Rummaging in the government's attic” Contents of the administrative processing/trackingfile/folder/notes for the ten oldest pending FOIA requestsand the two oldest pending FOIA appeals at theTransportation Security Administration(TSA),2004-2012 18-December-2011 03-June-2012 24-May-2012 09-October-2012 29-October-2012 05-November-2012 Transportation Security Administration,TSA-20,EastTowerFOIA Division601 South 12th StreetArlington,VA 20598-6020Fax:(571)227-1406Email:FOIA.TSA@dhs.gov Material released on appeal starts on page 323. The governmentattic.org web site(“the site”)is noncommercial and free to the public.The site and materialsmade available on the site,such as this file,are for reference only.The governmentattic.org web site and itsprincipals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible,however,there may be mistakes and omissions,both typographical and in content.The governmentattic.org web site andits principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss ordamage caused,or alleged to have been caused,directly or indirectly,by the information provided on thegovernmentattic.org web site or in this file.The public records published on the site were obtained fromgovernment agencies using proper legal channels.Each document is identified as to the source.Any concernsabout the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document inquestion.GovernmentAttic.org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website. TransportationSecurityAdministration MAY 242012 3600.1FOIA Case Number:TSA11-0277 This letter is in response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)request dated December 18,2011,in which you requested a copy of the contents of the administrative processing/trackingfile/folder/notes,including emails,notes,memos,letters,correspondence associated with the tenoldest pending FOIA requests and the two oldest pending FOIA appeals at the TransportationSecurity Administration(TSA).Your request has been processed under the FOIA,5 U.S.C.§552. A reasonable search within TSA was conducted and 369 pages responsive to your request werelocated.These pages have been reviewed and portions are being withheld pursuant toExemptions(b)(2),(b)(5),and (b)(6).In addition,63 pages are being withheld in their entiretypursuant to Exemption(b)(5).A more detailed explanation of these exemptions is outlinedbelow. During our review of responsive documents,we found some information out of the scope ofyour request.These portions are considered non-responsive and therefore they have beenredacted. Please note that FOIA number TSA08-0572 and appeal numbers TSA11-0191 and TSA11-0734were recently closed and,therefore,are no longer considered pending. Exemption(b)(2) Exemption(b)(2)exempts from mandatory disclosure records that are "related solely to theinternal personnel rules and practices of an agency.”We have determined that certain portions ofthe requested records contain personnel rules and/or internal practices of the TSA and are thusproperly withheld from disclosure under this exemption. Exemption (b)(5) Exemption (b)(5)protects from disclosure those inter-or intra-agency documents that arenormally privileged in the civil discovery context.The three most frequently invoked privilegesare the deliberative process privilege,the attorney work-product privilege,and the attorney-clientprivilege.Of those,we have determined that information in the documents you have requested isappropriately withheld under the deliberative process and attorney work-product privileges.Under the deliberative process privilege,disclosure of those records would injure the quality offuture agency decisions by di

FAQs

What did the FOIA request ask for in TSA FOIA case TSA11-0277?

It requested the contents of the administrative processing/tracking file/folder/notes, including emails, notes, memos, letters, and correspondence associated with the ten oldest pending FOIA requests and the two oldest pending FOIA appeals at TSA.

How many pages were located, and what happened to them?

A reasonable search found 369 responsive pages. Portions were withheld under Exemptions (b)(2), (b)(5), and (b)(6), and 63 pages were withheld in their entirety under Exemption (b)(5).

What exemptions were used to withhold information and why?

Exemption (b)(2) was used for internal personnel rules and practices. Exemption (b)(5) was used for deliberative process material and attorney work-product, to protect future decision quality and the adversarial preparation process. Exemption (b)(6) was used to withhold identifying information due to a privacy interest that outweighed public disclosure.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Riley