How much can a public institution charge for a public records request? At the University of Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act Office, it could be $11,073.
This bill was incurred by the University of Michigan’s Undergraduate Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request on April 4, 2024, for responses to a survey on the University’s then recently proposed disruptive activity policy, and any emails containing keywords such as “survey,” “protest,” “disruptive activity policy” and “Gaza,” among others, sent to or from the University’s Office of Public Affairs during the previous two weeks.
FOIA requests are intended as a mechanism to help individuals and organizations keep governments and public institutions transparent and accountable. Institutions can in certain scenarios deny FOIA requests, extend deadlines and issue fees. According to the University’s FOIA appeal procedure, if a court determines the office arbitrarily or capriciously violated FOIA law through delays or denials, they could be fined…