Ashbel T. Wall, II, Director, Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Petitioner v. Khalil Kholi
Decided March 7, 2011. Samuel A. Alito Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 09-868 · 562 U.S. 545 (2011) · Cited 328 times
Holding
Because Exemption 2 encompasses only records relating to employee relations and human resources issues, the explosives maps and data requested here do not qualify for withholding under that exemption.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 9–0.
Majority · 8
- Samuel A. Alito Jr. · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Clarence Thomas
- Elena Kagan
- John Glover Roberts Jr.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
Concurring · 1
- Antonin Scalia · filed a concurring opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Duncan v. Walker · 533 U.S. 167 (2001)
- United States v. Robinson · 361 U.S. 220 (1960)
- Williams v. Taylor · 529 U.S. 420 (2000)
- United States v. Morgan · 346 U.S. 502 (1954)
- Jimenez v. Quarterman · 555 U.S. 113 (2009)
- Murray v. Carrier · 477 U.S. 478 (1986)
- Rhines v. Weber · 544 U.S. 269 (2005)
- Massaro v. United States · 538 U.S. 500 (2003)
- Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody · 422 U.S. 405 (1975)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Carey v. Saffold · 536 U.S. 214 (2002)
- Daniels v. United States · 532 U.S. 374 (2001)
- United States v. Denedo · 556 U.S. 904 (2009)
- Bartone v. United States · 375 U.S. 52 (1963)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Garland v. Cargill · 602 U.S. 406 (2024)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2011). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).