Segregability
Segregability is the principle that, when part of a record is exempt from disclosure, an agency must release any reasonably separable nonexempt portions rather than withholding the entire record.
Segregability is the legal and recordkeeping principle that exemptions apply to information, not to whole documents. When a record contains material that may lawfully be withheld, an agency must still review the document and release every portion that can reasonably be separated from the exempt content. Only when nonexempt information is so intertwined with exempt material that disclosing it would reveal the protected content, or when what remains is meaningless, may the agency withhold the entire record.
This matters because it limits over-withholding and supports the presumption of openness in public records. In practice, segregability is implemented through redaction: the reviewer masks exempt passages and discloses the rest, often noting which exemption justifies each mark.
For example, a memo containing one paragraph of personal identifiers and three paragraphs of policy analysis should be released with only the identifiers redacted, not withheld in full. Sound recordkeeping aids this work, since accurate metadata and clear provenance make it easier to locate and isolate exempt material reliably.