Agencies redact by reflex and release on appeal — appeal reversal rates make the point. The administrative appeal costs a letter and preserves everything; skipping it is the amateur error.
Initial FOIA processing is volume work — exemptions get applied by pattern, not analysis. The appeal lands on different desks with the file open and a lawyer's letter pointing at specific redactions, and a meaningful share of withheld material releases at exactly that step. Foreseeable-harm requirements mean the agency must justify withholding, not merely categorize it.
For denials and redactions, administrative exhaustion is generally required. For blown response deadlines, no — the ignored-clock guide covers constructive exhaustion.
Statutorily prompt; practically weeks to months by agency. The appeal's value survives either way — it is required groundwork, and free.
Government-wide, appeals produce additional releases in a substantial minority of cases — better where redactions were categorical. Specific appeals beat general ones decisively.