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.
Showing 1401–1410 of 2202
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Presidential Powers Relating to the Situation in Iran
The following memorandum was prepared in the hours immediately following the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran. Its conclusions are set forth in its second paragraph. 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/22311/download.
11/7/1979
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Applicability of 18 U.S.C. § 207 to the General Accounting Office
Conflict of Interest—18 U.S.C. § 207—Applicability to the General Accounting Office 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/22206/download.
10/31/1979
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Authority of the Attorney General to Withdraw Claims for Gratuitous Payments Made by the Federal Government Under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act
Indians—Offset by Government of Claims Arising Out of Gratuitous Payments—Authority of Attorney General to Withdraw Offset 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/22201/download.
10/30/1979
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Representation of Criminal Defendant by Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Conflict of Interest—18 U.S.C. § 207—Applicability to Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys 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/22196/download.
10/26/1979
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Eligibility of Community Development Corporations to Participate in Small Business Administration Procurement Programs
Small Business Administration and Community Services Administration—Eligibility of Community Development Corporations for Participation in Certain Government Procurement Programs (15 U.S.C. § 637(a), 42 U.S.C. § 2985a) 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/22191/download.
10/23/1979
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Authority of Bonneville Power Administration to Engage in Pilot Energy Conservation Programs
Bonneville Power Administration—Authority to Conduct Pilot Conservation Programs (16 U.S.C. §§ 832, 838) 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/22186/download.
10/12/1979
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Scope of Power of Constitutional Convention to Propose Amendments to the Constitution
Constitutional Convention—Limitation of Power to Propose Amendments to the Constitution 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/22181/download.
10/10/1979
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Legality of Excluding Candidates Over Age 60 From Consideration for Judicial Appointment
Judges—Appointment—Age Factor 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/22176/download.
10/3/1979
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Authority of Federal Agencies to Investigate and Screen Non-Federal Employees Before Granting Them Access to Unclassified Information in Federal Computer Systems
Federal Computer Systems—Access by Contractor Employees—Authority to Screen for Security Purposes (31 U.S.C. § 18a; 5 U.S.C. §§ 301, 552a; 44 U.S.C. § 3102)—Due Process 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/22171/download.
10/1/1979
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Effectiveness of Attorney General Order After Resignation of Attorney General
Attorney General—Delegation of Authority—18 U.S.C. § 2516 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/22166/download.
9/27/1979