Federal law that any person has a right, enforceable in court, of access of federal agency records, except to the extent that such records, or portions thereof, are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions. Requests must be submitted in writing. FOIA applies only to records of the executive branch of the federal government, not to those of Congress or the federal courts, and does not apply to state governments, local governments, or private groups.