Sep 08 2014

This Week in Transparency: Shenanigans at the CIA, open-source FOIA reform, and more

New York Times shares its story of using open-records laws to track COVID-19 and racial inequalities April 15, 2021

In an April 14, 2021, article, The New York Times shares insights on its use of open-records laws to gain information on COVID-19 cases. Editors say using state and federal FOI laws has allowed the Times to provide a comprehensive look at coronavirus cases nationwide, and has revealed racial inequalities regarding who has faced the...More

Brief, signed by NFOIC, urges the release of records from grand juries that investigated Pentagon Papers leak April 13, 2021

The National Freedom of Information Coalition and 38 other organizations signed on to a Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press amicus brief urging the release of records from grand juries convened to investigate the leak of the Pentagon Papers. Federal circuit courts have split on whether district courts can order disclosure of such records....More

Illinois residents name seven ways the state’s FOIA law should improve April 13, 2021

A Chicago Tribune overview of FOIA in Illinois includes a seven-item wish list of what people familiar with the law would like to see improved. The list includes limiting exemptions, modernizing access to digital records, and strengthening penalties for delayed responses....More

Letter, signed by NFOIC, calls for oversight hearing on agency compliance with FOIA April 12, 2021

The National Freedom of Information Coalition joined more than two dozen organizations in calling for a hearing on federal agency compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. An April 7, 2021, letter to leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee said a hearing was necessary to understand FOIA implementation by the Trump Administration and to seek...More

Letter, signed by NFOIC, urges AG Garland to ‘breathe life’ into principles of transparency April 12, 2021

The National Freedom of Information Coalition joined other transparency-focused nonprofit groups in urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to “breathe life back into” principles of open government and accountability. An April 7, 2021, letter signed by 20 entities asked Garland to issue a memo to all government offices, establishing how to apply the Freedom...More

Michigan Supreme Court splits on whether records held by university library are public April 12, 2021

The Michigan Supreme Court deadlocked April 9, 2021, on whether records possessed by a University of Michigan library are considered public, The Detroit News reported. The 3-3 ruling allows an immigration lawyer to move forward with a public records request for documents donated to the university by an anti-immigration activist. In 2010, Dr. John Tanton...More