WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- The White House Office of Administration is not required to turn over records about a trove of possibly missing e-mails , a federal judge ruled Monday . The White House Office of Administration is not bound by the Freedom of Information Act , a judge says . The ruling by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found the agency does not have `` substantial independent authority '' so it is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act . The decision means the White House does not have to disclose documents relating to its troubled e-mail system . That system developed problems that may have caused millions of White House e-mails to be unaccounted for . The watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had sued under FOIA . The group expressed disappointment in the ruling and said it is appealing the decision . `` The Bush administration is using the legal system to prevent the American people from discovering the truth about the millions of missing White House e-mails , '' said Melanie Sloan , the organization 's executive director . In January , the White House said it can not rule out that it may have lost certain e-mails . The possibly lost e-mails are from a period in which the United States decided to go to war with Iraq , White House officials leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame and the Justice Department started a criminal investigation into who leaked the information . The White House has denied any evidence , including e-mails , have been destroyed .
CIA not subject to the Freedom of Information Act , judge rules . Office of Administration group wants records possibly related to millions of missing e-mail . Some White House e-mails missing from period when Office of Administration operative 's identity leaked .