Transparency experts advising patience over Obama open government initiative

Federal agencies easily met the first deadline in the Obama open government initiative, but the next steps for improving transparency and getting public feedback will take longer say open government experts. -db

Federal Times
March 10, 2010
By Gregg Calstrom

The first steps were easy: Most agencies met the first deadline of President Obama’s December directive to launch open government [...]

Journalist appeals denial of mug shot of federal fugitive

A freelance journalist is appealing a federal court ruling that the U.S. Marshals Service could deny a Freedom of Information Act request for a mug shot of securities fraud fugitive, Luis Giro. -db

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
March 3, 2010
By Curry Andrew

A freelance journalist has asked a federal appeals court to consider whether [...]

Federal court orders release of list of jets used by Big 3 automakers

ProPublica won a court battle in its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to gain the release of a list of corporate jets used by Big 3 automakers to fly to Washington, D.C. to ask for a taxpayer bail out. -db

ProPublica
Commentary
February 26, 2010
By Michael Grabell

A federal district judge ruled Friday that a list of private planes [...]

Watchdog group accuses VA of destroying documents on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among soldiers

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act request in May of 2008 for records regarding PTSC among soldiers but has not received the relevant e-mails and records and now fear that the VA destroyed the documents. -db
AllGov
February 28, 2010
By Noel Brinkerhoff
After learning that the Department of Veterans Affairs [...]

Federal archivist calls for reform on declassification policy and procedure

According to Michael J. Kurtz, Assistant Archivist at the National Archives, the backlog of records awaiting declassification will continue to grow until classification policies are changed. -db
Secrecy News
American Federation of Scientists
Opinion
February 22, 2010
By Steven Aftergood

Executive branch agencies have spent more than a billion dollars on declassification of government records in recent years, but [...]

Federal appeals court orders disclosure of names of telecom lobbyists

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the government must reveal name of lobbyists who working for retroactive liability protection for telecom companies who participated in warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens after 9/11. -db
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
February 10, 2010
By Sherri M. Okamoto
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday ruled that the government was required [...]

Report says press freedom eroding with shift to online media

A report in CQ Researcher says that with no way established to charge for online news content, there is less money to spend accessing courts, public records and public meetings. -db
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
February 9, 2010
By Cristina Abello

As newspaper circulations drop and nightly news broadcasts garner fewer viewers, more people are [...]

Media legal group joins freedom of information organization to support online reporters

The Online Media Legal Network of the Citizen Media Law Project is joining with the National Freedom of Information Coalition to help reporters with government information requests and FOIA lawsuits. -db
Citizens Media Law Project
Press Release
February 1, 2010
The Citizen Media Law Project is pleased to announce that its Online Media Legal Network (OMLN) is partnering [...]

A SEC lawyer, now running for Congress, disclosed protected information about whistleblower to his employer’s lawyer

The Security Exchange Commission’s commitment to protecting whistleblowers has been brought into question by a case in which a SEC lawyer handed over protected and nonpublic information to the whistleblower’s employer, JPMorgan Chase. -db
Politics Daily
January 28, 2010
By Michael Smallberg and Adam Zagorin
George Demos is a Republican Congressional candidate from Eastern Long Island whose Web site [...]

Obama favors disclosing contacts between lobbyists with administration or Congress

The Electronic Frontier Foundation hails President Barack Obama’s statement in the State of the Union address about disclosing lobbyist contacts. The Obama administration has been fighting FOIA requests seeking identities of lobbyists working the Department of Justice and Director of National Intelligence. -db

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Commentary
January 28, 2010
By Kurt Opsahl

In yesterday’s State of the Union address, [...]

Under Obama federal agencies still fighting record requests

The Washington Post reports that federal agencies are still balking at releasing records to the public, claiming that it would interfere with internal decision-making or compromise national security. In Obama’s first year, the number of Freedom of  Information Act lawsuits filed exceeds the number filed in each of Bush’s last two years. -DB
The Washington Post
January [...]

Securities and Exchange Commission hides information about AIG bailout

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission conspired with American International Group to keep secret the details of the company’s bailout. -DB

Reuters

January 14, 2010
By Matthew Goldstein
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. securities regulators originally treated the New York Federal Reserve’s bid to keep secret many of the details of the American International Group bailout like a request [...]

Federal Reserve strives to avoid disclosure on bailouts

The Federal Reserve is gearing up for two legal battles over suits seeking documents relating to the $2 trillion loan program to keep banks from collapsing in 2008. -DB
Daily Finance
Commentary
January 11, 2010
By Lita Epstein

The Federal Reserve is trying to ensure that what happens at the Fed, stays at the Fed.

In the first of two brewing [...]

Watchdogs needed to ensure federal openness initiatives don’t stagnate

The Obama administration has made significant progress in improving transparency, but a lot more work is needed to achieve full openness and accountability. DB

Bangor Daily News
Editorial
January 11, 2010
President Barack Obama took office with a promise of transparency. He has made strides, but he still has a way to go.

In his first 100 days, the traditional [...]

Federal judge orders release of documents from 2009 Blackwater case

A federal judge ordered the release of redacted documents from a 2009 hearing over whether the government used immunized statements of Blackwater guards on trial for a 2007 Baghdad shooting. -DB

Courthouse News Service
January 8, 2010
By Avery Fellow

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered the released of redacted documents from last year’s hearing examining whether the [...]

Post-Madoff: Group sues Securities and Exchange Commission for reform documents

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has sued the SEC for failing to provide records of reforms implemented in the wake of Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. -DB
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
January 7, 2010
By Amanda Becker
The government accountability group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has sued the [...]

Federal court takes middle way in FOIA dispute

To protect the ability of the government to maintain its legal position in a patent claim lawsuit, a judge ruled that the Freedom of Information act neither fully shields nor exposes documents sought by a firm suing BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. -DB

Courthouse News Service
January 6, 2010
By Annie Youderian

The Freedom of Information Act neither fully [...]

President earns mediocre marks on transparency

Despite his pledges to bolster open government, so far, according to Clint Hendler of the Columbia Journalism Review, President Barack Obama has only posted modest gains in transparency. -DB
Columbia Journalism Review
Opinion
January 05, 2010
By Clint Hendler
In the year since President Obama took office, he has made significant progress on transparency and access issues. Still, there have [...]

Federal court upholds secrecy on surveillance records

A federal appeals court ruled that the government could refuse to confirm or deny the existence of electronic surveillance records as an exception under the Freedom of Information Act. Former Guantanamo Bay detainees had requested records of the warrantless surveillance. -DB

JURIST
January 01, 2010
By Christian Ehret
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official [...]

Federal judge orders military to produce documents on gravesite of Taliban fighters

A federal district judge ordered the U.S. Central Command to find documents on a mass gravesite of Taliban fighters who surrendered in 2001 but died of asphyxiation and other causes while being transported to prison. -DB
Courthouse News Service
December 31, 2009
By Avery Fellow
A federal judge ordered U.S. Central Command to dig deeper in its search for [...]

President issues declassification order curbing secrecy

President Barack Obama issued a long anticipated order on declassification with the statement that no information should remain classified indefinitely. He eliminated a Bush order that allowed the intelligence community a veto over declassification decisions. -DB
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
December 30, 2009
By Amanda Becker
President Obama on Monday issued an anticipated declassification order and [...]

Federal Court rejects argument that mug shot of securities fraud suspect is public record

A Florida federal court rejected the Freedom of Information Act request of a freelance journalist for a prisoner’s mug shot ruling that the man’s privacy was more important than the public’s interest in seeing the photo. -DB

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
December 16, 2009
By Amanda Becker
A federal court in south Florida told [...]

Freedom of Information Act request garners oversight report of alleged illegal intelligence activities

In response to its FOIA lawsuit in July, the Electronic Frontier Foundation saw the government release an intelligence oversight report that reveals intelligence activities some believe are illegal. -DB

Electronic Frontier Foundation
December 16, 2009
By Nate Cardozo
Today the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National [...]

Bloomberg bid for records of federal bailout gains support of other news organizations

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 12 other media groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the suit to gain access to records of the recent federal bailout of  automobile and financial firms. Bloomberg News sued to obtain records of the $2 trillion emergency lending program. -DB
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the [...]

Government task force proposes new policy for limiting distribution of unclassified but sensitive information

An Obama administration task force has released a report suggesting replacing more than 100 different markings now used to curtail the distribution of sensitive but unclassified information. Recommended changes would reduce inconsistency in practice across agencies and over-protection of information. -DB

Secrecy News
Federation of American Scientists
Opinion
December 15, 2009
By Steven Aftergood
The government should replace the more than [...]

Millions of missing Bush administration e-mails turn up

White House computer technicians discovered 22 million e-mails lost during the Bush administration. Two groups had filed Freedom of Information Act requests for the e-mails in connection to the firing of U.S. attorneys and the Valerie Plame-CIA scandal. -DB
Wired
December 14, 2009
By Kim Zetter
White House computer technicians have found 22 million e-mails that were believed to [...]

Obama administration unveils 20 open government initiatives for federal agencies

The Obama administration announced that each of 20 federal agencies would provide an initiative to open government records to the public helping to fulfill an inaugural address promise for greater transparency in the federal government. -DB

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
December 10, 2009
By Miranda Fleschert

Each of the 20 cabinet departments has unveiled a new open [...]

Watchdog group seeks access to long sought White House visitor logs

Judicial Watch is suing the Secret Service for access to unreleased visitor legs requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The government cited national security concerns for some of the logs. -DB

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
December 10, 2009
By Miranda Fleschert

Mere weeks after the White House began publishing select visitor logs online, the conservative [...]

Secrecy News cites two agencies that need to get with the program on new federal transparency

The director of the Program on Government Secrecy says that key government departments are responding to the new open government directive but that two agencies stand out for blocking public access, the CIA and the Open Source Center. -DB

Secrecy News
Federation of American Scientists
Commentary
December 10, 2009
By Steven Aftergood

The Obama Administration’s new open government policy has begun to [...]

While applauding federal transparency directive, online rights advocate points to pockets of secrecy

A senior counsel for the Electronic Freedom Foundation gives the White House credit for its efforts to improve transparency but says that the Obama administration has yet to respond to requests for information on crucial technology policy issues made last January and February. -DB

Electronic Freedom Foundation
Commentary
December 8, 2009
By David L. Sobel

The Obama Administration today issued [...]

Law professor argues public interest not served by Defense Secretary discretion on FOIA requests

Cornell Law School’s Michael Dorf says public interest may be not receive its just due now that Congress has removed judicial review for classifying material on national security grounds especially when that material may concern illegal activity. -DB

FindLaw
Analysis
December 2, 2009
By Michael C. Dorf

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the ruling of the U.S. [...]

Obama administration takes serious step toward changing culture of secrecy in government agencies

The Obama administration issued a directive for federal agencies to establish mandatory new information disclosure procedures and opportunities for public participation. -DB

Secrecy News
Federation of American Scientists
Commentary
December 8, 2009
By Steven Aftergood

In a conscious and far-reaching attempt to change the culture of secrecy that prevails within many government agencies, the Obama Administration today issued a directive (pdf) [...]

Federal workshop on open government meets behind closed doors

The Obama administration’s workshop on government openness for federal employees met behind closed doors. The workshop provided training for freedom-of-information officials. -DB

The Seattle Times
December 7, 2009
By Sharon Theimer and Matt Apuzzo

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The Obama administration conducted a workshop on government openness for federal employees behind closed doors Monday, a private training session for [...]

EFF sues to force government to provide records of spying on social networks

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, working with the UC Berkeley law school, has filed suit against a number of federal agencies who have not responded to Freedom of Information Act requests for information about their surveillance of social networking sites. -DB

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Press Release
December 1, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), working with the [...]

ACLU argues hiding torture photos weakens democracy

ACLU Blog Manager Suzanne Ito says that in keeping the torture photos secret, the Obama administration is setting a dangerous precedent by preventing public scrutiny of government misconduct and stifling ideas that could make government operations more just and effective. -DB

American Civil Liberties Union
Opinion
December 1, 2009
By Suzanne Ito

Yesterday, the Supreme Court sent back to an [...]

Supreme Court supports move to withhold photos of abused detainees

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated a decision of a federal appeals court to require the Pentagon to release photos of showing torture of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. -DB

Jurist
November 30, 2009
By Jay Carmella

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday vacated and remanded a decision  by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that required [...]

Michigan Homeland Security charging $7 million for documents in FOIA request

The Michigan Homeland Security is charging a staff member of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy $6,876,303.90 to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act  request for documents on homeland security grant money from 2002 to 2009. The center was following up on a report by the Office of the Inspector General which revealed a lack [...]

Treasury Department charges over half million dollars to supply FOIA documents

In one of the largest bills ever for a FOIA request, the Treasury Department is asking a Missouri attorney to pay $522,886 for records he requested four years ago. The records concern the frozen assets of a former Libyan-backed company in the United States who Wood says owes his law firm legal fees. -DB
Wired
November [...]

Foundation provides records of secret negotiations for telecom immunity in illegal government surveillance

Using the Freedom of Information Act, the Electronic Frontier Foundation obtained the records of secret negotiations between government agencies and Congress that provided immunity for telecoms cooperating with the government in warrantless surveillance of American citizens. -DB

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Press Release
November 12, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO – Today the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) posted thousands of pages of [...]

FBI releases former Vice President Cheney’s interview on outing of CIA agent

The transcript of Dick Cheney’s FBI interview on the Valerie Plame incident was released to the public last week. Both the Bush or Obama administrations tried to keep the transcript secret. -DB

Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press
November 2, 2009
By Amanda Becker

The FBI released documents under court order Friday that show former Vice President Dick [...]

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