The California-based First Amendment Coalition has sued a county in the state for violating California’s Public Records Act. Ventura County officials have refused to disclose information about COVID-19 deaths and about outbreaks at businesses and other non-residential settings. “It’s troubling that government officials would so blatantly disregard their transparency obligations at a time when people […]
Read More… from California coalition sues county for access to COVID-19 data
The Arizona First Amendment Coalition filed a motion Monday, April 26, 2021, opposing a contractor’s request to keep secret its methods of recounting ballots in the metro Phoenix area. The contractor, Florida-based Cyber Ninjas, was hired by Arizona’s state Senate to oversee the recount of 2.1 million ballots. A judge plans to review Cyber Ninjas’ […]
The public should have access to all records related to disciplinary proceedings pending against Rudy Giuliani, given the substantial public interest in Giuliani’s role in challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. So says a letter written by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The National Freedom of Information Coalition and 31 […]
Media outlets in Nebraska have objected to an application process for press credentials, saying the governor’s new requirements appear arbitrary. “Failing to be transparent about what information tends to result in approval or denial disregards the importance of relating the questions in the application to a legitimate governmental purpose and, as such, smacks of arbitrariness,” […]
Read More… from Nebraska media outlets object to governor’s new rules for press credentials
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 […]
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. […]
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. Read the full list […]
Read More… from Illinois residents name seven ways the state’s FOIA law should improve
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 […]
Read More… from Letter, signed by NFOIC, calls for oversight hearing on agency compliance with FOIA
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 […]
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 […]
