States Can Restrict FOIA Requests to Their Own Residents, Says Supreme Court

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that it's legal for a state to limit use of its Freedom of Information Act to its own residents.

The court unanimously upheld a federal appeals court decision validating Virginia's limitation of its FOIA law to state citizens and some media outlets.

In the case before the court, Rhode Island resident Mark J. McBurney and California resident Roger W. Hurlbert were suing Virginia for blocking them from getting public documents in Virginia that in-state citizens could have easily obtained. Virginia's FOIA law limits access to state citizens and some media outlets.