Federal appeals court rejects pleas for anonymity in school admissions suit

A federal appeals court voted not to rehear an appeal by juvenile plaintiffs bringing a civil rights lawsuit challenging the admissions policies of an Hawaii school. -db The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press November 16, 2010 By Stephen Miller Two U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco (9th Cir.) judges voiced strong dissenting [...]

Campaign finance: Transparency needed more than ever as Supreme Court unleashes special interest money

The executive director of the Sunlight Foundation says that the Supreme Court’s decision striking down key provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law will unleash a flood of money in the political arena making it even more likely money will influence executive and legislative decisions. -DB Sunlight Foundation Opinion January 21, 2010 By Ellen Miller [...]

California personnel rules block reasonable public disclosure of police misconduct

An editorial in The Monterey County Herald argues that laws restricting access to records about police misconduct do not permit scrutiny of police officials in administrative positions who should not be able to hide behind secrecy provisions. -DB The Monterey County Herald Editorial August 14, 2009 Before it’s over, don’t be surprised if the apparent suspension [...]

Law proposed to shed light on state university foundations

University officials claim that a law forcing disclosure financial dealings of nonprofit university foundations serving state institutions would be too costly. Open government advocates say that recent expenditures, illegal or questionable, show the need for disclosure. -DB Capitol Weekly August 13, 2009 By Maryam Ali Free-speech groups are trying to force the state’s public universities to [...]