[ClintonBeGone]

Really? I thought court records were covered. Certainly, the operative word is should.

It's usally defended in some lame 'seperation of powers' arguement.

[Tired_of_the_Lies]

You may not care about this particularly, but the Department of Justice publishes a book each year called the FOIA Guide. For the most part, it is the difinite handbook for FOIA within the Executive branch. Here is the url for the May 2002 edition:

http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/procereq.htm#entities

It says in part (very near the beginning) that:

Entities Subject to the FOIA

Agencies within the executive branch of the federal government, including the Executive Office of the President and independent regulatory agencies, are subject to the FOIA. However, the FOIA does not apply to entities that "are neither chartered by the federal government [n]or controlled by it."

Thus, it is settled that state governments, municipal corporations, the courts, Congress, and private citizens are not subject to the FOIA. Nor does the FOIA apply to a presidential transition team. (footnotes removed; emphasis added)