Federal Communications Commission, et al., Petitioners v. AT&T Inc. et al. (562 U.S. 397)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided March 1, 2011 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 562 U.S. 397 · 131 S. Ct. 1177
- Decided
- March 1, 2011
- Term
- October Term 2010
- Vote
- 8–0
- Majority author
- Justice Roberts
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Chief Justice Roberts delivered the opinion of the Court. The Freedom of Information Act requires federal agencies to make records and documents publicly available upon request, unless they fall within one of several statutory exemptions. One of those exemptions covers law enforcement records, the disclosure of which “could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” 5 U. S. C. § 552(b)(7)(C). The question presented is whether corporations have “personal privacy” for the purposes of this exemption. I The Freedom of Information Act request at issue in this case relates to an investigation of respondent AT&T Inc., conducted by the Federal Communications Commission. AT&T participated in an FCC-administered program — the E-Rate (or Education-Rate) program — that was created to enhance access for schools and libraries to advanced telecommunications and information services. In August 2004, AT&T voluntarily reported to the FCC that it might have overcharged the Government for services it provided as part of the program. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau launched an investigation. As part of that investigation, AT&T provided the Bureau various documents, including responses to interrogatories, invoices, e-mails with pricing and billing information, names and job descriptions of employees involved, and AT&T’s assessment of whether those employees had…
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