Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
FOIA, 5 U.S.C. §552, provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. Federal agencies are required to disclose records or information upon receipt of a written FOIA request, except such records or information that are exempt from disclosure pursuant 5 U.S.C. §552. The 1996 FOIA amendments require federal agencies to implement a publicly accessible Electronic Reading Room to store commonly requested documents.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Please view the frequently asked question prior to submitting your FOIA request to ensure it is submitted to the appropriate custodian and release authority. A misdirected or incorrectly filed request will delay the response to your inquiry.
Record & Information Custodians
The Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG) of the Navy maintains records and information in the following general categories:
JAG Manual Investigations
The Claims and Tort Litigation Division (Code 15) is the custodian and release authority under FOIA for Navy and Marine Corps reports of investigation conducted pursuant to Chapter II of the Manual of the Judge Advocate General (JAGMAN) completed prior to December 1995. The cognizant release authority for reports of investigation conducted after December 1995 remains the command that conducted the investigation, except:
- All FOIA requests relating to investigations involving breaches of classified information or information security regulations conducted pursuant to Chapter II of the JAGMAN are processed by the Chief of Naval Operations (N09N).
- All FOIA requests relating to Admiralty Letter Reports (ALR) conducted pursuant to Chapter XII of the JAGMAN are processed by the Admiralty and Maritime Law Division (Code 11). (Note that ALR’s are considered litigation reports and generally exempt from release under FOIA).
Code 15 is also the custodian and release authority under FOIA for all Navy and Marine Corps litigation report investigations conducted pursuant to Chapter II of the JAGMAN. However, in most cases litigation report investigations are exempt from release under FOIA.
Many requests received pertain to records not under the cognizance of Code 15. Please view the Frequently Asked Questions section prior to submitting your FOIA request to ensure it is submitted to the appropriate custodian and release authority. A misdirected request will delay the response to your request.
Before submitting a FOIA request for a JAGMAN investigation, please view the OJAG FOIA Reading Room for commonly requested documents. If the information is not available in the OJAG FOIA Reading Room and it is a JAGMAN investigation that OJAG is the custodian of, you may submit a FOIA request to:
- Admiralty & Maritime Law (Code 11)
- Office of the Judge Advocate General
- ATTN: (OJAG Code 11)
- 1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000
- Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
- All Others
- Office of the Judge Advocate General
- Claims and Tort Litigation Division (Code 15)
- 1322 Patterson Ave SE, Suite 3000
- Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
- Questions concerning reports of investigations may be directed to the following processing centers:
- Admiralty & Maritime Law (Code 11): FOIA_Admiralty@Navy.Mil or (202) 685-5040
- Claims & Tort Litigation (Code 15): InvReqJAG@Navy.Mil or (202) 685-4600
Administrative Law Matters
The Administrative Law Division (Code 13) processes FOIA requests for records or information relating to professional responsibility complaints; complaints of wrong filed under Article 138, Uniform Code of Military Justice or under Article 1150 of the U.S. Navy Regulations.
Please view the Frequently Asked Questions section prior to submitting your FOIA request to ensure it is submitted to the appropriate custodian and release authority. A misdirected request will delay the response to your request.
Before submitting a FOIA request, please view the OJAG FOIA Reading Room for commonly requested documents. If the information is not available in the OJAG FOIA Reading Room, you may submit a FOIA request to:
- Office of the Judge Advocate General
- ATTN: Administrative Law Division (Code 13)
- 1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000
- Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
- E-mail address: JAGFOIA@navy.mil
- Questions concerning administrative law FOIA requests may be directed to Code 13 processing center at:
- JAGFOIA@navy.mil or (703) 614-7415
Criminal Law and Military Justice Matters
The Criminal Law and Military Justice Division (Code 20) processes FOIA requests concerning the military justice system and individual courts-martial; and responds to requests for records of trial.
Please view the Frequently Asked Questions section prior to submitting your FOIA request to ensure it is submitted to the appropriate custodian and release authority. A misdirected request will delay the response to your request.
Before submitting a FOIA request, please view the OJAG FOIA Reading Room for commonly requested documents. If the information is not available in the OJAG FOIA Reading Room, you may submit a FOIA request to:
- Office of the Judge Advocate General
- Criminal Law Division (Code 20)
- 1014 N St., SE, Suite 401
- Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5011
- E-mail address: JAGFOIA@navy.mil
- Questions concerning criminal law and military justice FOIA requests may be directed to Code 20 processing center at:
- JAGFOIA@navy.mil or (202) 685-7068.
FOIA Appeals
The Secretary of the Navy has delegated appellate authority to the Judge Advocate General and the Department of the Navy General Counsel. The General Litigation Division (Code 14) is responsible for adjudicating all FOIA appeals that fall under the Judge Advocate General’s cognizance, including military justice; operational and international law; military personnel law; legal assistance; civil law; intelligence oversight; and litigation involving these matters. Further detail about matters under the Judge Advocate General’s cognizance is found in SECNAVINST 5430.27B.
- FOIA appeals within the Judge Advocate General’s authority are submitted to:
- Office of the Judge Advocate General
- General Litigation Division (Code 14)
- 1322 Patterson Ave., SE, Suite 3000
- Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
Questions concerning FOIA appeals may be directed to OJAG Code 14 at: (202) 685-5442.
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