Meese FOIA Memo

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

A copy of former US Attorney General Edwin Meese III’s Memo Concerning the 1986 Amendments to the FOIA (“A Memorandum for the Executive Departments and Agencies Concerning the Law Enforcement Amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC Sec. 552, Enacted as the Freedom of Information Reform Act of 1986, Sections 1801-1804 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, 100 Stat. 3207, 3207-48 (October 27, 1986)”, dated December 1987).

Until recently, the memo was posted on the Department of Justice's website at https://www.justice.gov/04foia/86agmemo.htm. As such, while copies may have been transferred to NARA, the DOJ is still in possession of copies. Please search all appropriate components.

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government for AND Magazine, MuckRock and Glomar Disclosure. My articles have been widely read, with some reaching over 100,000 readers. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Michael Best

I am appealing the decision to not provide the memo requested. A URL does not, in itself, satisfy the request. This standard has been established by DOJ components and other government agencies including CIA by refusing to accept obituaries in the form of URLs and web links that direct the agency to the material. Agencies, including DOJ components, have upheld the standard that requesters must actually send either a hard copy or an electronic copy of the material. This standard naturally applies both ways, and either the DOJ is establishing binding precedent that links and URLs are universally acceptable or the DOJ must, itself, actually and directly provide the material requested in either an electronic or physical (hard copy) format.