Term: 2010
Docket: 09-1279
Federal Communications Commission, Et Al., Petitioners v. At&t Inc. Et Al.
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09-1279 FCC V. AT&T INC. DECISION BELOW: 582 F.3d 490 JUSTICE KAGAN TOOK NO PART CERT. GRANTED 9/28/2010 QUESTION PRESENTED: Exemption 7(C) of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(7)(C), exempts from mandatory disclosure records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes when such disclosure could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of "personal privacy." The question presented is: Whether Exemption 7(C)'s protection for "personal privacy" protects the "privacy" of corporate entities. LOWER COURT CASE NUMBER: 08-4024
The U.S. Supreme Court case Federal Communications Commission (FCC) v. AT&T Inc., 2010, revolved around whether corporations have personal privacy rights that can be protected under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The dispute began when AT&T tried to prevent the FCC from releasing documents related to an investigation into its business practices, arguing that doing so would constitute an "unwarranted invasion of personal privacy" as per exemption 7(C) in FOIA. However, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously against AT&T's claim and held that corporations do not have personal privacy rights for purposes of FOIA exemptions because they are not considered 'individuals' by legal definition within this context. Therefore, these protections apply only to individuals and cannot be used by corporations to withhold information.
In the case of Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T Inc., there was no dissenting opinion as the decision was unanimous (9-0) in favor of the FCC. The Supreme Court ruled that corporations do not have personal privacy rights under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act). This means that AT&T could not prevent information about them from being disclosed by claiming it would infringe on their 'personal privacy'. The court held that, for purposes of FOIA, "personal" refers to individuals and does not extend to corporations.
