Glomar Response
Definition
In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, a government agency’s refusal to confirm or deny the existence of requested records pursuant to FOIA’s statutory exemptions. The doctrine originated from a FOIA case, Phillippi v. Central Intelligence Agency, 546 F.2d 1009 (1976), in which records were requested regarding an oceanic research vessel, the Hughes Glomar Explorer.