Richard L. Huff

Richard L. Huff served as one of two co-directors of the Office of Information and Privacy since the Office’s creation in 1982 until his retirement in 2005.  He was the official designated by the Attorney General to act on all administrative appeals from denials under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act of 1974 by Department of Justice components. He litigated and supervised FOIA cases at the district and appellate level and has testified before Congress on the implementation of the 1996 Electronic FOIA Amendments and on the interface between the FOIA and the Privacy Act. 

                He has overseen the development of the “Freedom of Information Act Guide,” the Department of Justice’s 1100-page treatise that was updated and distributed every other year to more than 22,000 recipients, before being made available on-line. 

                Mr. Huff came to the Department of Justice in 1976 after serving seven years on active duty in the Army. He is now a retired colonel in the Army Reserve; during his last reserve assignment he was attached to the Army Judge Advocate General’s School where he taught FOIA and Privacy Act subjects to military graduate students. 

                Since retiring Mr. Huff has made one-, two-, and three-day training presentations for the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Army, and Homeland Security, as well as for the Graduate School (formerly the USDA Graduate School) and American Society of Access Professionals.

                Mr. Huff received a B.A. from Stanford, an M.A. from St. Mary’s University, a Juris Doctor from UC Law – San Francisco, and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University.