The Environmental Protection Agency's unacceptable attitude toward public-records requests earned terse words but no sanctions from a federal judge.
Though Landmark Legal Foundation failed to win spoliation sanctions against the EPA, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth agreed with it that the agency had failed its duty to protect and provide public information.
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Lawmakers will scramble over each other to laud transparency and open government when considering legislation to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act.
But FOIA reform often faces a difficult path toward passage as speculation mounts over its unintended consequences, sometimes stalling action on the bill by Congress. Who launches this quiet resistance against changing the nation's foremost public records law?
Federal agencies, that's who. Continue>>>
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Read More… from Subtle push against FOIA bill begins in administrative branch
The Seattle Police Department, for once, is in the headlines for completely positive reasons. Today, the department's new body camera streaming program—which auto-posts videos from the bodycam pilot program to YouTube—was covered by NBC's Today Show. And yesterday, the Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG) recognized Mike Wagers, the chief operating officer hired by Chief Kathleen O'Toole, for his involvement in launching the program.
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Read More… from Seattle Police Department Leader Gets Transparency Award for Bodycam Program
Almost seven weeks into the legislative session, no fewer than 25 bills have been introduced that would affect open meetings, open records or public notice advertising in Iowa.
The bill that has received the most attention is one being fast-tracked that would seal data on Iowa's concealed weapons permit holders. But other bills are lurking in the wings that also would erode openness in our state's government.
Among them:
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Read More… from Editorial: Bills are an assault on Iowa’s public records law
While Rick Perry has joined Republicans casting stones at Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account while she was secretary of state, it seems the former governor is not without sin.
Perry was among the first potential 2016 presidential candidates to chime in on revelations that Clinton conducted government business entirely on a personal email account. On Tuesday morning, Perry said the findings add to a “pattern … of non-transparency” surrounding Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in 2016.
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Read More… from Et tu, Rick? Perry Has Own Private Email Trail
Can open records laws be used to access all of the e-mails sent by Hillary Clinton during her time as secretary of state?
A new court ruling this week suggests: probably not.
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A Kentucky federal judge on Tuesday booted Texas Roadhouse Inc.'s suit against the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly failing to hand over documents related to its age discrimination case against the restaurant chain, saying the company must first exhaust its administrative remedies.
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Read More… from EEOC Wins FOIA Battle In Steakhouse Age Bias Dispute
A House investigative committee said it has records containing two different e-mail addresses used by former secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. It issued subpoenas Wednesday to find out more about Clinton's use of her private e-mail system to conduct public business.
The State Department denied Clinton used more than one e-mail address, which Clinton herself controlled on her own server at clintonemail.com.
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Read More… from House panel issues subpoenas for Clinton e-mails
Washington State Archives has announced a series of open government training workshops in Eastern Washington this month in support of a state law introduced by the State Attorney General’s Office and passed in 2014.
#The Open Government Trainings Act requires training for public officials, public disclosure officers and state-appointed records officers.
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Read More… from Open government training workshops slated for Eastern Washington
With Sunshine Week less than two weeks away, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and Wisconsin Reporter are pursuing legal action that aims to open up government records to the public.
On Tuesday, WILL, a Milwaukee-based public interest law firm, on behalf of Wisconsin Reporter, filed a lawsuit against Jefferson County and its policy calling for the wholesale redaction of identifying information from routine police reports and citations.
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Read More… from WILL, Wisconsin Reporter sue to open government records
