In a bid to clear the way for a controversial Senate nominee, the Obama administration signaled it will publicly reveal a secret memo explaining its legal justification for using drones to kill American citizens overseas.
The Justice Department, officials say, has decided not to appeal a Court of Appeals ruling requiring disclosure of a redacted version of the memo under the Freedom of Information Act.
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In 2008, Barack Obama released his “Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government,” which pledged the following:
My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
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A conservative think tank is alleging the White House is skirting transparency laws by allowing President Barack Obama’s science adviser to use a private email account to conduct government business.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has sued the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to produce the work-related emails of its director, John Holdren, that were sent from a private email account and thus hidden from the Freedom of Information Act and archiving laws.
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Read More… from White House Official Accused of Trying to Hide Communications
On the occasion of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address this week, marking five years since he was sworn into office with the stated primary objective of turning around the post-crisis domestic economy, it’s worth asking: Is America safe from another economic crisis?
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Read More… from Rachel Marsden: Transparency must accompany financial oversight
From Information Week: The Obama Administration released a second round of open government initiatives, introducing nearly two dozen plans to stimulate or improve the government’s interaction with citizens — from streamlining Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to “participatory budgeting” mechanisms allowing citizens to guide public spending projects in their communities.
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Read More… from Obama Administration’s Open Government Projects, round 2
From NFOIC: COLUMBIA, Mo — If President Obama and leaders in Congress are serious about strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), they would do well to strip away some of the discretion agencies have to determine which requesters seek information “in the public interest “ and are “likely to contribute significantly to public understanding.”
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From NFOIC: COLUMBIA, Mo — The Obama Administration is releasing its 2013 open government National Action Plan today to coincide with the Open Government Partnership Annual Summit meeting in London.
In a preview report, the Administration claims it has delivered on 24 of 26 commitments it made in its initial National Action Plan in 2011.
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Read More… from “New” U.S. open government action plan unveiled
From Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, joined by 36 other news media organizations, filed public comments calling on the president’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies to more carefully balance the secrecy sometimes required in national security investigations with the public’s right to know what its government is doing.
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From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Federal health officials broke federal laws by stonewalling legal attempts to learn how they created new rules requiring employers to pay for insurance that covers contraception, sterilization and abortion, according to lawyers representing the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
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Read More… from Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh files suit over FOIA request
From The Washington Post: WASHINGTON — It’s as if the United States has two governments, one open and one very much not. President Barack Obama leads both, trying not to butt heads with himself.
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