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I. Introduction
Mug shots occupy a seemingly indelible place in American popular culture. Embarrassing booking photos of celebrities like Lindsay Lohan,1 Mel Gibson,2 and Robert Downey, Jr.3 are plastered on televisions and tabloids across the country. Local newspapers feature the most recent mug shots from the nearby jail,4 and mug shot websites are increasingly common.5 Perhaps our fascination with these images stems from the same impulse driving the popularity of reality television: seeing real people in bad situations makes us feel better about our own lives.6
Regardless of why we find them appealing, mug shots play a major role in how the media report crime. Just last year, several news outlets covering the death of Trayvon Martin stirred up controversy by featuring an outdated mug shot of a younger, heavyset George Zimmerman in an orange jumpsuit, which some alleged was a calculated attempt to make him look more menacing.7
Given the prevalence of these images, it is perhaps surprising that the federal government generally does not disseminate the mug shots in its possession.8 The Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA")9 requires federal agencies to disclose certain records to the public. However, FOIA Exemption 7(C) permits agencies to deny requests for law enforcement records when releasing them might violate someone's personal privacy.10
When federal agencies refuse to disclose mug shots, members of the news media occasionally challenge them in court. Three federal appellate courts have considered whether mug shots qualify for nondisclosure under Exemption 7(C). The Sixth Circuit concluded that mug shots must be disclosed, but the Eleventh and Tenth Circuits recently disagreed, creating a circuit split.11 In late 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") decided to ignore the Sixth Circuit's decision and now refuses to disclose federal mug shots.12 However, the legal terrain remains unsettled: the circuit split is still unresolved, and the DOJ's mug shot policy may again be challenged. The goals of this Note are (1) to review both sides of the circuit split on mug shot disclosure and (2) to suggest how courts should analyze this issue by placing it in a broader legal, empirical, and historical context.
This Note proceeds in four parts. Part II gives a brief overview of FOIA and Exemption 7(C). Part III highlights the federal circuits' disagreements...