In a departure from a ruling of another circuit, the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a mug shot was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. The court said to release the mug shots would violate the person’s privacy rights.
Writing for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Christine Beckett says, “The issue of access to mug shots made news last month when requests were made to see the mug shots of alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner. Loughner has been charged with killing six and injuring 13 others in the January Arizona shooting that claimed the life of a federal judge and severely injured U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.” Loughner ‘s mug shots were ultimately released to the media. -db
From The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, March 14, 2011, by Christine Beckett.