Bechhoefer v. U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

5 federal appellate · 1 district ·

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name ... or other identifying particular.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 400 F. Supp. 2d 404 - Rivera v. Potter · Bechhoefer v. U.S. Department of Justice

2. “). Relevant facts are as follows. In the summer of 1993, Plaintiff Arthur Bechhoefer, a self-employed investment advisor in Yates County, New York and an active member of two local watchdog organizations, became concerned about reports of drug trafficking in the Keuka Lake area. Because the reports implicated a number of local notables, including at least one member of the Yates County Sheriff's Department, Bechhoefer approached the federal authorities, specifically, the Rochester branch office of the DEA. 4 On July 15, 1993, Bechhoefer called the DEA and spoke with Special Agent Jeffrey Gelina, to whom he began to convey his suspicions. Gelina asked Bechhoefer to memorialize his suspicions in writing, and to send him a detailed account of what he had learned. Bechhoefer alleges that in the course of that phone conversation, Agent Gelina assured him the letter would remain confidential. Two days later, Bechhoefer sent to Gelina a three-page, single-spaced letter, outlining in detail Bechhoefer's suspicions of a pattern of drug trafficking, violence, and coverups on the part of numerous prominent local citizens. Among other things, the letter raised the suspicion that two drowning deaths, which were thought to have been alcohol-related, might in fact be connected to the drug trade. The letter mentions that the "[i]nvestigation of the recent drownings was handled by Mike Christensen, who was Richard Ackerman's right hand man”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Bechhoefer v. U.S. Department of Justice

3. “We decline the DEA's invitation to affirm on either of these alternative bases. Although the DEA raised both issues in its motion for summary judgment, the District Court did not rule on either issue. Moreover, both issues turn in large part on information that is within the control of the DEA, and as of yet there has been no discovery.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. McCready v. Nicholson