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 1431–1440 of 2202
-
Appointment of Member of Congress as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (II)
Constitutional Law—Article I, Section 6, Clause 2—Appointment of Member of Congress to a Civil 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/22076/download.
7/19/1979
-
Employment and Immigration Status of Nonimmigrant Alien Soccer Players During Strike in the North American Soccer League (II)
Immigration and Nationality Act—8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(H)—Nonimmigrant Aliens—Soccer Strike 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/22071/download.
7/18/1979
-
Government Taking of Mineral Rights Held in Trust for Indian Tribes
Indian Lands—Eminent Domain—Mineral Rights Held by the United States as Trustees 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/22066/download.
7/16/1979
-
Appointment of a Member of Congress as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Constitutional Law—Article I, Section 6, Clause 2—Appointment of Member of Congress to a Civil 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/22061/download.
7/11/1979
-
Questions Arising During Vacancy of Chairmanship of Federal Home Loan Bank Board
Federal Home Loan Bank Board—Chairman—Vacancy—Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1947 (5 U.S.C. App. 1), Reorganization Plan No. 6 of 1961 (5 U.S.C. App.) 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/22056/download.
7/9/1979
-
Requirement of Ethics in Government Act to Report Information on Spouse and Dependent Children
Ethics in Government Act—Financial Report—Application to Spouses and Children of Reporting Official (5 U.S.C.A. App. I) 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/22051/download.
7/5/1979
-
Application of Conflict of Interest Laws and Department of Justice Standards of Conduct to Agreement Between U.S. Attorney and Former Law Firm Partner
(1) Conflict of Interest (18 U.S.C. § 208)—Financial Interest; (2) Standards of Conduct (28 CFR § 45-735-9(a))—Prohibition Against Practice of Law 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/22031/download.
7/3/1979
-
Garnishment of Federal Workers' Compensation Payments and Tennessee Valley Authority Retirement Payments
Garnishment—Remuneration Paid to Federal Employees—Tennessee Valley Authority—Smithsonian Institution—42 U.S.C. §§ 659, 662 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/22046/download.
7/3/1979
-
Requirement to Hold Evidentiary Hearing Before Withholding Wages of Federal Employee in Satisfaction of Debt Allegedly Owed the United States
Due Process—United States (as Creditor)—Withholding Wages of Federal Employee (as Debtor) in Satisfaction of Debt Allegedly Owed the Government 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/22041/download.
6/28/1979
-
Application of the Russell Amendment to Advisory Committees
Advisory Committees—Application of the Russell Amendment (31 U.S.C. § 696) 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/22036/download.
6/27/1979