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 1451–1460 of 2202
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Questions Concerning the Right to Financial Privacy Act
Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. § 3401)—Banks—Disclosure of Customer Financial Records 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/21981/download.
5/22/1979
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Authority of the Three Mile Island Commission to Close Meetings Discussing Its Issuance of Subpoenas
Three Mile Island Commission—Closed Meetings—Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)—Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. § 552b) 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/21966/download.
5/21/1979
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Effective Date of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978
Contract Disputes Act (41 U.S.C. § 601)—Effective Date of Act 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/21971/download.
5/21/1979
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CETA Programs in Religiously-Affiliated Schools
In light of a recent disagreement, this opinion reviews a prior OLC opinion, which had held that federal job trainees and employees in sectarian elementary and secondary schools under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act could not serve in certain positions, due to the Establishment Clause. This opinion reaffirms the OLC's previous conclusion, citing that positions in sectarian schools would indeed produce a primary effect that advances religion, and it was proper for the OLC to advise the Department of Labor accordingly. 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 https://justice.gov/olc/page/file/1085351/download.
5/15/1979
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Contractual Exemption from Liability for Agents' Negligence in FBI Law Enforcement Training for State and Local Law Enforcement Officers
Federal Bureau of Investigation—Contractual Exemption from Liability for Agents' Negligence in FBI Law Enforcement Training (42 U.S.C. § 3744) 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/21961/download.
5/14/1979
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Whether the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission May Disclose in an Opinion or Order Financial Information About a Mine Operator Derived from an Income Tax Return Submitted as Evidence in an Administrative Proceeding
Tax Returns—Disclosure (26 U.S.C. § 6103; 18 U.S.C. § 1905) 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/21956/download.
5/11/1979
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Whether the Percentage Limits on Wage Garnishment for Alimony and Child Support in Section 303(b)(2) of the Consumer Credit Protection Act Apply to the Total of Multiple Garnishments
Garnishment—Federal Employees—Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. § 1673)—Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 659) 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/21951/download.
5/2/1979
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Applicability of Section 307(c)(1) of the Coastal Zone Management Act to Preleasing Activities of the Department of Interior Relating to the Outer Continental Shelf
Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. § 1456(c)(1))—Outer Continental Shelf Lands—Applicability of Section 307(c)(1) to Department of the Interior Preleasing Activities Directly Affecting the Coastal Zone—Repeals by Implication 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/21946/download.
4/20/1979
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Construction of Certain Statutory Provisions Relating to the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System
Foreign Service—Retirement—Amount of Annuity (22 U.S.C. § 1076) 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/21941/download.
4/19/1979
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Employment and Immigration Status of Nonimmigrant Alien Soccer Players During Strike in the North American Soccer League
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1101 (a)(15))—Nonimmigrant Aliens—Strikes and Other Labor Disputes—Status of Nonimmigrant Alien Soccer Players During Strike in the North American Soccer League 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/21936/download.
4/18/1979