ACLU v. CIA - FOIA Case for Records Referenced in or Implicated by the Declassification of the Senate Torture Report (2015 Torture FOIA)
What's at Stake
In November 2015, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit demanding the Departments of Defense, Justice, and State, and the CIA release 69 records or categories of records either referenced in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s report on the CIA’s torture program or whose classification status was implicated by the report’s release. While the full 6,900-page SSCI report remains classified, the summary of the report’s findings, which was declassified and released in December 2014, describes horrific human rights abuses committed by the CIA through its post-9/11 program of rendition, detention, and torture.
Summary
On June 14, 2016, in response to this lawsuit, the CIA released over 50 documents which include numerous new facts and details, vividly depicting the brutality of torture. The documents reveal attempts by Bush administration lawyers to evade the absolute prohibitions on torture and abuse of prisoners. They include new records about the torture and death of Gul Rahman at a secret CIA prison in Afghanistan in 2002; the draft of a letter from the CIA to the attorney general requesting that the Justice Department “grant a formal declination of prosecution” for torture; and a CIA inspector general report finding that the kidnapping and torture of German citizen Khalid El-Masri was a case of mistaken identity. New documents also reveal how hard the CIA worked to bury the evidence of its crimes — including by seeking to silence its victims.
Following years of litigation and advocacy by the ACLU, the government released over 100,000 pages of documents concerning the abuse and torture of detainees by the CIA and Department of Defense. These records are indexed and searchable through our Torture Database. Information about related cases, including our FOIA lawsuit demanding the release of the full SSCI report, is available here.
Legal Documents
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06/19/2018
Amended Judgement on Documents 8 and 66 -
05/01/2018
Order on Documents 8 and 66, Amending Judgement, and Reconsidering Sept 27 2017 Opinion -
05/01/2018
Gov't Letter re Ex Parte Transcript Redactions -
04/27/2018
Gov't Letter Motion to Stay re: Order -
04/17/2018
Second Order on Redacted Transcript -
04/11/2018
Gov't Notice of Lodging of Classified Submission -
03/27/2018
First Order and Notice on Redacted Transcript -
02/16/2018
Gov't Notice of Filing of Classified Submission -
12/05/2017
Gov't Letter re Amended Supplemental Declaration -
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12/05/2017
Amended Supplemental Declaration of Antoinette B. Shiner
Amended Supplemental Declaration of Antoinette B. ShinerDate Filed: 12/05/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
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12/05/2017
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12/01/2017
Gov't Notice of Lodging of Classified Submission -
11/13/2017
Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Defendant's Motion to Alter Judgment or for Reconsideration -
11/03/2017
ACLU Opposition to Defs' Motion to Amend and to Reconsider the Court's Sept 27, 2017 Opinion and Order -
10/26/2017
Government Motion to Alter Judgment -
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10/26/2017
Government Memo in Support of Motion to Alter Judgment
Government Memo in Support of Motion to Alter JudgmentDate Filed: 10/26/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
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10/26/2017
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09/28/2017
Judgment -
09/27/2017
Opinion and Order -
07/31/2017
Order Granting SJ for Defs. re: Document 1, Upholding Exemptions -
06/09/2017
ACLU Letter re: Supplemental Authority -
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06/14/2017
Government's Response
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06/14/2017
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06/01/2017
Government Letter re: Supplemental Authority -
02/01/2017
Plaintiffs' Sur-Reply in Opposition to Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment -
01/06/2017
Reply in Support of Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment -
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01/06/2017
Declaration of Elizabeth Tulis -
01/06/2017
Exhibit A -
01/06/2017
Exhibit B -
01/06/2017
Exhibit C -
01/06/2017
Exhibit D -
01/06/2017
Exhibit E -
01/06/2017
Exhibit F -
01/06/2017
Exhibit G -
01/06/2017
Exhibit H -
01/06/2017
Exhibit I -
01/06/2017
Exhibit J -
01/06/2017
Exhibit K -
01/06/2017
Exhibit L -
01/06/2017
Exhibit M -
01/06/2017
Exhibit N -
01/06/2017
Exhibit O -
01/06/2017
Exhibit P -
01/06/2017
Exhibit Q -
01/06/2017
Exhibit R -
01/06/2017
Exhibit S -
01/06/2017
Exhibit T
Declaration of Elizabeth TulisDate Filed: 01/06/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
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01/06/2017
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01/06/2017
Supplemental Declaration of Antoinette B. Shiner -
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01/06/2017
Amended Vaughn Index
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01/06/2017
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12/08/2016
Letter Establishing Parties' Positions on Proposed Procedures -
11/28/2016
Order Proposing Procedure for Resolving Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment -
11/18/2016
Plaintiffs' Brief in Opposition to Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment -
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11/18/2016
Declaration of Dror Ladin -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 1 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 2 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 3 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 4 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 5 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 6 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 7 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 8 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 9 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 10 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 11 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 12 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 13 -
11/18/2016
Exhibit 14
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11/18/2016
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10/14/2016
Memo of Law in Support of Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment -
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10/14/2016
Declaration of Paul Colborn -
10/14/2016
Exhibit A -
10/14/2016
Exhibit B -
10/14/2016
Exhibit C -
10/20/2016
Exhibit D -
10/14/2016
Exhibit E -
10/17/2016
Declaration of Tara M. La Morte -
10/20/2016
Exhibit A1 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit A2 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit A3 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit B -
10/17/2016
Exhibit C -
10/17/2016
Exhibit D -
10/17/2016
Exhibit E -
10/17/2016
Exhibit F -
10/17/2016
Exhibit G1 -
10/20/2016
Exhibit G2 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit G3 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit H -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I1 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I2 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I3 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I4 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I5 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I6 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit I7 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit J -
10/17/2016
Exhibit K -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L1 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L2 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L3 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L4 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L5 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L6 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit L7 -
10/17/2016
Exhibit M
Declaration of Paul ColbornDate Filed: 10/14/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDeclaration of Tara M. La MorteDate Filed: 10/17/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download Document -
10/14/2016
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10/14/2016
Declaration of Antoinette B. Shiner -
10/14/2016
CIA Notice of Classified Filing -
10/14/2016
CIA Notice of Motion for Summary Judgment -
01/15/2016
Defendants' Answer -
11/25/2015
Complaint for Injunctive Relief
Date Filed: 06/19/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 05/01/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 05/01/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 04/27/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 04/17/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 04/11/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 03/27/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 02/16/2018
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 12/05/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 12/01/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 11/13/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 11/03/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 10/26/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 07/31/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 06/09/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 06/01/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 02/01/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 01/06/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 01/06/2017
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 12/08/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 11/28/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 11/18/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 10/14/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 10/14/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 10/14/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 10/14/2016
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 11/25/2015
Court: District Court (S.D.N.Y.)
Download Document-
02/02/2022
Judgment -
02/02/2022
Opinion -
06/18/2019
Transcript of June 13, 2019 Oral Argument -
03/11/2019
Government Reply Brief -
12/21/2018
Amicus Brief from The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 22 Media Organizations -
12/14/2018
ACLU Brief -
11/15/2018
Government Brief -
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11/14/2018
Joint Appendix I -
11/14/2018
Joint Appendix II -
11/14/2018
Joint Appendix III -
11/14/2018
Joint Appendix IV -
11/14/2018
Joint Appendix V
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11/14/2018
Date Filed: 06/18/2019
Court: Appeals Court (2d Cir.)
Download DocumentDate Filed: 12/21/2018
Court: Appeals Court (2d Cir.)
Download DocumentPress Releases
CIA Releases Dozens of Torture Documents in Response to ACLU Lawsuit