When lawmakers race to pass budgets and bills by working into the early morning hours, as they did Tuesday and Wednesday, advocates of open government say they are working in the dark in more ways than one.
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Read More… from Washington: Critics say legislative all-nighters mean less transparency
A sweeping decision by a majority of justices on the Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday will allow for the automatic sealing of tens of thousands of state juvenile-court records without public challenge or judicial review.
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Read More… from Washington: State ruling affirms easier sealing of juvenile-court records
Federal district judges in Washington are the gatekeepers of government records in high demand. The CIA torture report. Prosecution memos about multibillion-dollar deals with big banks. And, now, Hillary Clinton's emails.
More lawsuits are filed in Washington over access to federal records than in any district court in the country. Nearly half of the 462 cases filed in 2014 under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) were brought in Washington, according to a review of court filings by The National Law Journal. [See Chart.]
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Read More… from D.C. Federal Judges Play Outsized Role Nationally in FOIA Actions
An open-government champion has sued the Pierce County Council for allegedly violating the state open public meetings law — another twist in the saga over the county’s controversial plan to build a $127 million government headquarters in Tacoma’s South End.
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Until his death last week, it had been a while since Cass Ballenger’s name appeared in Gazette headlines.
The ultimate straight-talking politician, Ballenger spent a stretch representing Gaston County in Washington and in that time made plenty of news. He had a way of saying what he thought that left listeners with no doubt about what he meant.
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Read More… from Editorial: Rep. Ballenger made government more open for its citizens
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection urged a Washington, D.C., federal judge Wednesday to deny a quick win in a Freedom of Information Act suit seeking access to immigration databases, arguing that the data are exempt from disclosure.
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Read More… from Feds Say Immigration Databases Are Off-Limits In FOIA Suit
State Sen. Joe Fain of Auburn will be honored Monday evening with the highest legislative award the Washington Coalition for Open Government can bestow. The award celebrates your right to know what government is doing or thinking of doing.
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Read More… from Top open government award going to Washington Sen. Fain
We all say we want transparent government, but each legislative session, numerous bills are introduced to limit what you can learn about government operations. Every week, legitimate requests for information are rejected or ignored. Bit by bit, exemption by exemption, governments advocate for less public access, not more.
That’s why it is refreshing to see the Port Townsend City Council (WA) actually making it easier for people to access information and participate in government deliberations.
Jefferson Healthcare Help Wanted
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Read More… from EDITORIAL: City did the right thing in improving citizen access
The Port of Olympia commission voted Monday night to move forward with a final settlement agreement covering three lawsuits, two of which were filed against the port nearly eight years ago.
The lawsuits were filed by Arthur West of Olympia, an open government advocate who sued the port twice in 2007 and once in 2012, according to port data.
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Read More… from Port will settle lawsuits with open government advocate
With $750,000 in additional funding, the OpenGov Foundation plans to expand its footprint into the world of lawmaking tools for citizens and governments.
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Read More… from Startup Money Will Provides Easy-to-Use Open-Government Tools to Cities and States
