U.S. Department of Justice – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Media to feds: Give us the mug shots — they’re public

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A Detroit Free Press-led battle over the public's right to see mug shots of criminal defendants is back before a federal appeals court today, only this time the media company has loads of backup — roughly 60 news organizations have joined in the fight.

At issue is a policy by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has refused to release mug shots of criminal defendants on privacy grounds, even though courts have repeatedly ruled that the public has a right to see those photos.

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Opinion: Making dollars and sense of DOJ’s new FOIA fee rule

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When the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revised its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations last month, it adopted language that might inflate requesters’ FOIA costs across all agencies. Fortunately, its rule is not the final word on what a requester lawfully can be charged to compel prompt disclosure of unclassified federal records.

Legislative background and hierarchy

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DOJ Drops 9th Circ. Appeal In Patriot Act FOIA Dispute

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation on Thursday said the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its Ninth Circuit appeal in a Freedom of Information Act dispute over a secret legal interpretation of a section of the Patriot Act, teeing up the release of an unpublished opinion on census data access by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

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