VAUGHN INDEX - The term "Vaughn
Index" originated from Vaughn v. Rosen, 484 F.2d
820 (D.C. Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 415 U.S. 977 (1974),
wherein the court rejected an agency's conclusory affidavit
stating that requested FOIA documents were subject to
exemption. Id. at 828. "A Vaughn Index must: (1)
identify each document withheld; (2) state the statutory
exemption claimed; and (3) explain how disclosure would
damage the interests protected by the claimed exemption."
Citizens Comm'n on Human Rights v. FDA, 45 F.3d 1325,
1326 n.1 (9th Cir. 1995). This detailed affidavit "
'permit[s] the court system effectively and efficiently
to evaluate the factual nature of disputed information.'
" John Doe Agency v. John Doe Corp., 493 U.S. 146,
149 n.2 (1989) (quoting Vaughn, 484 F.2d at 826).
