Judicial Watch, an organization that monitors government corruption, has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to review a lower court ruling that allows the Federal Reserve to keep secret documents related to the 2008 bailout of Bear Stearns. At issue is whether or not the federal government can keep the documents from public scrutiny without specifically stating how the release of the documents would harm government agency decision-making.
Judicial Watch said, “By removing the requirement that a government agency must make a specific showing of harm under…exemption 5, the D.C. Circuit has created a sweeping exemption, causing the Freedom of Information Act to become more of a withholding statute than a disclosure statute.”
Kenneth F. Bunting
Executive Director, NFOIC