第五巡回上诉法院撤销下级法院裁定：FEMA 灾害救助规则公开诉讼发回续审
美国第五巡回上诉法院 10 月 22 日就 La Union v. FEMA 一案发布正式公布（published）意见（案号 24-40756）。原告 La Unión del Pueblo Entero（LUPE）是一家位于德克萨斯州的非营利组织，长期协助低收入居民在自然灾害后申请联邦救助。该组织起诉联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）与美国国土安全部（DHS），指控 FEMA 在决定灾害救助资格时使用未公开的“秘密规则”，存在违反《信息自由法》“阅览室条款”（5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(2)）的做法或惯例，并要求法院下令 FEMA 今后把个人与家庭援助计划（IHP）的资格标准公布到网上阅览室。
由法官 Stephen A. Higginson 撰写意见、Southwick 法官与 Douglas 法官参加的合议庭裁定，LUPE 已合理地指控 FEMA 存在不遵守阅览室条款的做法，据此部分撤销德克萨斯州南区联邦地区法院批准 FEMA 动议、以偏见方式（with prejudice）驳回全案的裁定，将案件发回该院续审。意见同时指出，LUPE 请求的前瞻性救济是否成立仍需进一步的事实记录，是否给予此类衡平救济属于地区法院的自由裁量范围。（GSM 据美国第五巡回上诉法院 10 月 22 日意见报道）
Fifth Circuit Revives Suit Over FEMA Disaster-Aid Rules: La Union v. FEMA Reversed in Part and Remanded
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a published opinion on October 22 in La Union v. FEMA, No. 24-40756. The plaintiff, La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), is a Texas-based nonprofit organization that helps low-income Texans access federal assistance following natural disasters. LUPE sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that FEMA has a policy or practice of violating the Freedom of Information Act's “reading-room provision,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(2), by relying on “secret rules” when making disaster-relief eligibility decisions, and seeking an injunction requiring FEMA to publish its Individuals and Households Program (IHP) eligibility standards in its online reading room going forward.
Writing for a panel that included Circuit Judges Southwick and Douglas, Circuit Judge Stephen A. Higginson held that LUPE has plausibly alleged that FEMA has a practice of failing to comply with FOIA's reading-room provision. The court therefore reversed, in part, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas's grant of FEMA's motion and its dismissal of the case with prejudice, and remanded for further consideration. The opinion added that whether the prospective relief LUPE requests is warranted requires additional record development, and that equitable relief lies in the sound discretion of the district court. (GSM, based on the October 22 opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit)
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于 New Orleans 的美国第五巡回上诉法院大楼（资料图）。照片：Bobak Ha'Eri，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit building in New Orleans (file photo). Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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