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Read More… from MIT delays the release of Aaron Swartz’s Secret Service file
Tag: FOIA
S.C. Supreme Court rules public bodies cannot say FOIA hurts speech
From Miami Herald: Public bodies in South Carolina cannot use the Freedom of Information Act to justify decisions not to release records or hold open meetings, the state's highest court ruled Wednesday.
In a 3-2 decision, the state Supreme Court ruled that a circuit judge should not have allowed the South Carolina Association of School Administrators to argue that open records requirements harmed its members' free speech rights.
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Read More… from S.C. Supreme Court rules public bodies cannot say FOIA hurts speech
Springfield (Ill.) loses FOIA lawsuit again
From NewsRadio WTAX: A man suing the city for the release of internal police files has won — again.
Calvin Christian sued the city to release internal affairs files regarding a 2011 request. Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt ruled the city could not keep secret police documents, other than to redact names, birthdates, social security numbers and other personal information. Video interviews, the judge ruled, must be transcribed and redacted accordingly.
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Man wins appeal against IRS for FOIA request attorney’s fees
From Louisiana Record: A man whose motion for attorney’s fees was denied by a district court has won an appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit involving his case against the IRS.
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“FOIA Terrorist” Jason Leopold shares his transparency secrets
From MuckRock: Jason Leopold has used the Freedom of Information Act to break a number of major stories, from the drugging of Department of Defense detainees to the Biblical justifications the Air Force used for nuclear war to a drawn-out battle with the FBI over Occupy Wall Street documents.
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Read More… from “FOIA Terrorist” Jason Leopold shares his transparency secrets
White House seeks feedback on second opengov action plan
From ExecutiveGov: The White House wants public input on its proposal to create a second action plan that will work to further encourage openness and civic participation in government activities, according to a Wednesday blog post.
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U.S. files on Bin Laden raid purged from Pentagon computers for secrecy
From NY Daily News: The nation's top special operations commander ordered military files about the Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout to be purged from Defense Department computers and sent to the CIA, where they could be more easily shielded from ever being made public.
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Transparency four years later
Some Obama appointees using nonpublic email accounts
From The Columbus Dispatch: Some of President Barack Obama’s political appointees are using secret government email accounts to conduct official business, a practice that complicates agencies’ legal responsibilities to find and turn over emails under public-records requests and congressional inquiries.
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Watchdog groups decry Obama move limiting whistle-blower shield
From Businessweek: Open-government advocates said a proposed U.S. rule that could lead to more federal jobs being classified as sensitive may also make it easier to fire federal whistle-blowers.
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