September 21, 2011
From Student Press Law Center:
New Jersey’s Supreme Court has struck a decisive blow for the transparency of government spending, ruling that lobbying groups created by government agencies cannot hide behind their “private” corporate status to conceal their records.
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Read More… from Jersey lifts secrecy of government lobbying groups
September 21, 2011
From CourierPostOnline.com:
The Senate is pushing a revamped bill to overhaul the state Sunshine Law, key lawmakers say.
Bill sponsor state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, said she’s been paying close attention to Courier-Post reports of elected officials’ prohibited email quorums and ensuing county prosecutors’ investigations.
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September 21, 2011
From Marketwatch.com:
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Read More… from NASA announces International Space Apps Competition
September 20, 2011
From The Burlington Free Press:
COLCHESTER — St. Michael's College and the Vermont Press Association will host Investigative Reporters and Editors and its Better Watchdog Workshop for professional, student and citizen journalists Oct. 1-2.
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Read More… from Vermont Press Association will host workshop
September 20, 2011
From The San Francisco Examiner:
San Francisco spends more money on government than it did a decade ago, but that government employs fewer people. Public safety spending is a smaller portion of the total budget than ever. And The City’s debt has shot up in just the past few years.
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Read More… from New Web tool breaks down San Francisco government data
September 19, 2011
In the aftermath of the Casey Anthony trial and the verdict that stunned both local and television-audience court watchers, there have been unfortunate murmurings in Florida and elsewhere that the identity of jurors should be kept secret in all cases.
If that issue has arisen in your state, I highly recommend the issue paper by Jim Rhea, former executive director of the Tallahassee-based First Amendment Foundation.
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Read More… from The importance of access to juror information
September 19, 2011
From tampabay.com:
ST. PETE BEACH — A newly amended lawsuit against the city seeks to reverse both a March referendum and a June commission decision, saying the two votes stemmed from conversations that violated the Sunshine Law.
In the referendum, residents repealed a requirement that voters approve development rules involving height and density.
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Read More… from 2 St. Pete Beach votes challenged in lawsuit
A few items selected from many of interest in the last few days.
The FOIA Wars: Just how open is our "open government?"
"American democracy has a disease, and it's called secrecy." So begins a July 2011 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report on secrecy laws and the security establishment's heavy-handed use of the classified stamp.
Visit Truthout.org for the rest.
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September 16, 2011
From the Politico:
Gov. Rick Perry’s straight talk may have made him an instant star of the Republican presidential field, but even some of his supporters say his frank one-liners don’t reflect his governing style in Texas, where Perry has been criticized as one of the most secretive governors in the country.
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Read More… from Rick Perry’s governing style: Secrecy over straight talk?
September 16, 2011
From the Billings Gazette:
HELENA — Does a government worker suspected of stealing from her employer have a privacy right that outweighs the public’s right to know?
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Read More… from Supreme Court hears arguments in Billings police records case
