The OLC
Astrid Da Silva

The OLC's Opinions

Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit

This Reading Room is a comprehensive database of published opinions written by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). It contains the approximately 1,400 opinions published by the OLC in its online database and the opinions produced in Freedom of Information Act litigation brought by the Knight Institute, including opinions about the Pentagon Papers, the Civil Rights Era, and the War Powers Act. It also contains indexes of unclassified OLC opinions written between 1945 and February 15, 1994 (these indexes were created by the OLC and intended to be comprehensive). We have compiled those indexes into a single list here and in .csv format here. This Reading Room also contains an index of all classified OLC opinions issued between 1974 and 2021, except those classified or codeword-classified at a level higher than Top Secret (the OLC created this index, too, and intended it to be comprehensive).

The Knight Institute will continue updating the reading room with new records. To get alerts when the OLC publishes a new opinion in its database, follow @OLCforthepeople on Twitter.

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  • Racial Segregation at Airports Developed with Financial Assistance Under the Federal Airport Act

    The OLC was asked whether airports built using federal grant money were required to integrate given a clause in the grant agreement requiring accessibility without “unjust discrimination” but the agency declined to provide an answer, citing “a long-standing departmental policy” against weighing in on “judicial questions.” The OLC did advise, however, that the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics could include a grant agreement term explicitly prohibiting discrimination for future grantees.

    5/16/2022

  • Constitutionality of an Appropriations Bill Denying Funds for Certain Civil Litigation

    Legislation directing that no funds be expended in the preparation or prosecution of a civil lawsuit by the United States against a state public utility district regarding riparian rights in a river owned by the federal government is not subject to serious constitutional objection. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/20721/download.

    7/30/1952

  • Presidential Authority to Direct the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Not to Comply With a Congressional Subpoena Seeking Testimony About Private Activities

    Although there has been a practical construction, extending back to the earliest days of this Republic, of the respective powers of the Congress and the Executive, under which the President may order his subordinates in the Executive Branch to withhold information from the Congress when he deems such action to be in the public interest, it is difficult to justify application of this principle with respect to a congressional subpoena seeking an official's testimony regarding his private activities prior to the time of his close official connection with the President. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/20716/download.

    2/19/1952

  • Possible Removal of Japanese From Alien Enemy Classification

    This memo addressed a request from the legislative director of the Japanese Citizens League that the President issue a proclamation removing “enemy alien” classification status from Japanese residents of the United States. The opinion canvassed the views of INS, the Criminal Division, the Office of Alien Property, and the Claims Division, before explaining its view that the “real objective” of the Japanese Citizens League was to have the president terminate the state of war with Japan before the Peace Treaty was confirmed, which the OLC found objectionable.

    9/2/2022

  • Procedures followed by this Government in resolving inter-departmental administrative disputes

    This memo noted that the Department of Justice did not have any published information on the procedures followed by the Government in resolving inter-departmental administrative disputes. However, it provided citations for public opinions issued by the Attorney General that addressed the subject more generally.

    5/16/2022

  • The President's Papers

    This opinion analyzes the Federal Records Act of 1950 and explains the difference between “official” papers of presidents, which have always belonged to the government, and “personal” papers, for which title passes from the president to the government upon deposit with the GSA under § 507(e). The opinion notes that because there is no title passage provision with respect to official papers of heads of agencies, Congress likely already regarded those records as owned by the government, and notes that “removal of such papers by heads of agencies might well be a crime,” citing § 2071.

    5/16/2022

  • Deposit of the President's papers with the General Services Administrator

    This opinion analyzed the Federal Records Act of 1950 and explained the difference between “official” papers of presidents, which have always belonged to the government, and “personal” papers, for which title passes from the president to the government upon deposit with the GSA under § 507(e). The opinion noted that because there is no title passage provision with respect to official papers of heads of agencies, Congress likely already regarded those records as owned by the government, and noted that “removal of such papers by heads of agencies might well be a crime,” citing § 2071.

    5/16/2022

  • Presidential Authority to Make Recess Appointments While Incumbents Hold Over

    The President may make recess appointments to the Interstate Commerce Commission and to the Board of Directors of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation while members of those entities continue to serve in office under holdover statutes. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/20896/download.

    10/2/1950

  • Possible statehood for Hawaii

    This memo examines the constitutionality of certain provisions in a Hawaiian statehood bill which relate to the establishment of a federal district court in the new state. Among other considerations, it asks whether the two incumbent federal judges of the territorial “legislative court” would retain their offices as federal judges of the new “Article III court,” or whether new appointments would be necessary. The memo concludes that new appointments by the president and Senate are likely required by the constitution.

    5/16/2022

  • Trial of American Citizens Before Courts Established by the American Military Government in Germany

    This memo explained the process afforded to American citizens tried before military courts, including the primary distinction that military courts do not provide a right to a jury trial. The memo also proposed two alternative procedures for American civilians accused of crimes abroad, including trial in German courts and American ones.

    9/2/2022

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