7(1)(f)

FOIA

Preliminary drafts, notes, and deliberative materials

Preliminary drafts, notes, and deliberative materials (pre-decisional "draft" exemption)

Read the full statute text on /statutes →

12 upheld (no violation found) · 35 rejected (violation found) · 8 partial violation · 3 closed / insufficient info / other, out of 58 documents.

Not legal advice, and not a per-exemption ruling — this reflects each document's overall disposition. See the FAQ disclaimer.

All 58 documents citing 7(1)(f)

Email attachments between school board members
Binding opinionViolation found
2025 PAC 86098 · Leslie Quade Kennedy Attorney for Hinsdale Township High School District · 2025
Improperly withheld records
Records identifying officers flagged under Brady/Giglio protocols
Binding opinionViolation found
2025 PAC 89024 · Cook County State's Attorney's Office · 2025
Improperly withheld records
Policies and reports on police shootings and in-custody deaths
Binding opinionViolation found
2024 PAC 83650 · St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office · 2024
Violation found
A letter requesting a vote of no confidence
Binding opinionViolation found
2024 PAC 83122 · City of Chicago · 2024
Improperly withheld records
Employee survey responses for performance evaluations
Binding opinionNo violation
2022 PAC 73915 · Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy · 2023
No violation found
An outgoing police chief's email to staff on policies
Binding opinionViolation found
2022 PAC 69424 · Village of Mount Prospect · 2022
Improperly withheld records
Applications for a village board vacancy
Binding opinionViolation found
2022 PAC 71261 · Village of Chatham · 2022
Improperly withheld records
Communications about a zoning change with a private applicant
Binding opinionViolation found
2021 PAC 66968 · City of Geneva · 2021
Improperly withheld records
A police department's monthly extradition calendar
Binding opinionViolation found
2019 PAC 56867 · City of Chicago · 2019
Violation found
A former village president's unredacted resignation letter
Binding opinionViolation found
2017 PAC 49999 · Village of Hudson · 2018
Improperly withheld records
Traffic count data from roadway monitoring
Binding opinionViolation found
2017 PAC 46589 · Village of Oak Park · 2017
Violation found
Essential employee designation records
Binding opinionViolation found
2017 PAC 46587 · Illinois Department of Corrections · 2017
Violation found
Audio recordings of a housing authority board's public meetings
Binding opinionViolation found
2017 PAC 49564 · Lake County Housing Authority · 2017
Violation found
Contracts and correspondence for a concert at a public arena
Binding opinionViolation found
2014 PAC 31746 · Village of Rosemont · 2015
Improperly withheld records
The Governor's calendar with meeting details
Binding opinionViolation found
2015 PAC 35747 · Office of the Governor · 2015
Improperly withheld records
Budget presentation for staff training
Binding opinionViolation found
2015 PAC 37506 · Governor's Office of Management and Budget · 2015
Improperly withheld records
Monthly Uniform Crime Report statistics
Binding opinionViolation found
2013 PAC 24905 · Illinois State Police · 2013
Improperly withheld records
An investigative file on a real estate agent
Binding opinionViolation found
2011 PAC 17813 · Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) · 2012
Violation found
A comprehensive index of binding Public Access Counselor opinions issued from 2010 to 2026
Binding opinionOther
10-001
Administrative index document
Records on animal use in a medical residency program
Determination letterNo violation
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
No violation found
Construction cost projections for parking garages
Determination letterViolation found
City of Elmhurst
Improperly withheld records
PTAX-203 real estate transfer declaration forms
Determination letterClosed no further action
Illinois Department of Revenue
Closed due to commercial purpose
A budget comparison document presented to a board
Determination letterViolation found
First Fire Protection District of Antioch Township
Improperly withheld records
Correspondence between a governor's office and a former agency director
Determination letterViolation found
Office of the Illinois Governor
Improperly withheld records
Emails about an investigation into a school district's finances
Determination letterViolation found
Lake County State's Attorney's Office
Improperly withheld records
Technical specifications for a waste water treatment plant
Determination letterNo violation
City of Monticello
No violation found
Correspondence about state hiring sent to a revenue department
Determination letterViolation found
Illinois Department of Revenue
Improperly withheld records
Budget reports by a state budget office consultant
Determination letterViolation found
Governor's Office of Management and Budget
Improperly withheld records
A school official's emails about morning announcements
Determination letterViolation found
Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205
Improperly withheld records
Attorneys' emails with factual updates to clients
Determination letterViolation found
City of Chicago Department of Law
Improperly withheld records
An employee survey from 2015
Determination letterNo violation
Village of Oak Park
No violation found
Correspondence between state attorneys general on environmental policy
Determination letterNo violation
Office of the Illinois Attorney General
No violation found
Records on gating Griffith Cave and Natural Heritage Database access
Determination letterViolation found
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Improperly withheld records
An internal investigation into a professor's research and IRB process
Determination letterPartial violation
University of Illinois
Improperly withheld records
Correspondence about classroom observations and integration
Determination letterPartial violation
Glen Ellyn School District No. 41
Improperly withheld records
Police use-of-force reports for 2017
Determination letterViolation found
City of Quincy Police Department
Improperly withheld records
A legislative reference bureau's denial letter
Determination letterViolation found
City of Chicago Legislative Reference Bureau
Violation found regarding procedural requirements
Misconduct complaint records involving two city employees
Determination letterPartial violation
City of Peoria
Improperly withheld records
A consultant's study of a fire department's operations
Determination letterNo violation
Village of Schiller Park
No violation found
Emails about a city-owned parking lot sale
Determination letterViolation found
City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
Improperly withheld records
A mayor's text messages with city officials
Determination letterPartial violation
City of Chicago Mayor's Office
Partial violation found
Emails between four individuals over three months
Determination letterViolation found
Lake County State's Attorney's Office
Improperly withheld records
An applicant's background check and polygraph records
Determination letterViolation found
Romeoville Police Department
Improperly withheld records
A slide deck on civil unrest emergency response strategies
Determination letterPartial violation
City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC)
Improperly withheld records
Emails from non-city accounts used by the mayor
Determination letterViolation found
City of Chicago, Office of the Mayor
Violation found
An administrative law judge bench book on vehicle enforcement
Determination letterViolation found
City of Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings
Improperly withheld records
Application materials for a police chief finalist
Determination letterPartial violation
City of Urbana
Improperly withheld records
Pension fund's redacted Real Estate Strategic Plan
Determination letterNo violation
Cook County Pension Fund
No violation found
A city's email correspondence with union addresses
Determination letterNo violation
City of Springfield
No violation found
Communications about a police background investigation for employment
Determination letterNo violation
Matteson Police Department
No violation found
Athletic department correspondence with an NIL group
Determination letterPartial violation
University of Illinois System
Partial violation found
Applications, scores, and evaluation notes for cultural districts program
Determination letterNo violation
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
No violation found
Emails about cancellation of a protested bid
Determination letterClosed no further action
Chief Procurement Office for General Services
Closed, no further action
Internal communications on a property development project
Determination letterNo violation
City of Chicago Office of the Mayor
No violation found
Emails with a contractor about curb and gutter work
Determination letterViolation found
Will County Division of Transportation
Violation found
Draft advertisements for a public safety sales tax
Determination letterNo violation
Champaign County Executive's Office
No violation found
Communications and a legal memo from a city planning department
Determination letterPartial violation
City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
Improperly withheld records
Tax incentive program applications
Determination letterViolation found
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
Improperly withheld records