United States v. Weber Aircraft Corp. et al. (465 U.S. 792)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided March 20, 1984 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 465 U.S. 792 · 104 S. Ct. 1488
- Decided
- March 20, 1984
- Term
- October Term 1983
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Stevens
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U. S. C. § 552 (1982 ed.), requires federal agencies to disclose records that do not fall into one of nine exempt categories. The question presented is whether confidential statements obtained during an Air Force investigation of an air crash are protected from disclosure by Exemption 5, which exempts “inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency.” I On October 9, 1973, the engine of an Air Force F-106B aircraft failed in flight. Captain Richard Hoover, the pilot, was severely injured when he ejected from the plane. Under Air Force regulations, the incident was a significant air crash that required two separate investigations: a “collateral investigation” and a “safety investigation.” The collateral investigation is conducted “to preserve available evidence for use in claims, litigation, disciplinary actions, administrative proceedings, and all other purposes.” Witnesses in a collateral investigation testify under oath and generally are protected by the procedural safeguards that are applicable in other formal hearings. The record of the collateral investigation is public. The safety investigation is quite different. It is conducted by a specially appointed tribunal which prepares…
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