Federal court rules non-residents can be denied Virginia state records

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that non-residents have no right to Virginia public records under the state’s freedom of information law. Non-residents were challenging the law claiming it was unconstitutional. The two non-residents who sued the state were seeking child support documents and real estate tax assessment records. -db From The Reporters [...]

Federal judge rules FBI cannot withhold information about informant from Civil Rights era

A federal district judge ruled that the FBI could not use a Freedom of Information Act exclusion in denying access to records about a civil rights era photographer who was an informant for the agency. The judge said the FBI confirmed the relationship with their response to the FOIA request so could not then withhold [...]

Federal judge rules for public interest group seeking files of criminal investigation of House member

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. found that the Justice Department could not withhold files from the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics of their criminal investigation of U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska. The Justice Department did not file any charges against Young and withheld the files on privacy grounds. -db From the Anchorage [...]

Idaho: Federal judge orders release of identities of ranchers holding grazing permits

A federal district court ordered the Bureau of Land Management to reveal the identities of livestock grazing permit holders during a hearing on a Freedom of Information Act case, holding that the public’s right to know outweighed privacy rights. -db Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press September 15, 2010 By Stephen Miller A U.S. [...]

Senator expressed uneasiness about nuclear stockpile secrecy in 1949

A U.S. senator earned an entry in his FBI file in 1949 for making a speech calling for transparency about how many nuclear bombs we possessed and how many were in production. It was only on May 3 of this year that we learned the true size of our nuclear arsenal. -db Secrecy News Commentary [...]

Editorial: California bill to seal autopsy reports not in public’s interest

A Los Angeles Times editorial argues that a bill in the California legislature to grant families of murdered children the power to keep autopsy reports sealed would prevent public scrutiny that could improve the criminal justice system and protect families. -db Los Angeles Times Editorial August 3, 2010 California lawmakers should reject a bill that [...]

Salary scandal tied to lack of oversight from community newspaper

The Santa Cruz Sentinel says in an editorial that when Bell town officials voted themselves outrageous salaries and pensions, it went unnoticed because the town’s community newspaper shut down in 1998. -db Santa Cruz Sentinel Editorial August 4, 2010 An aftermath of the scandal in the Los Angeles-area city of Bell over salaries and pension [...]

Supreme Court rules names on anti-gay petition can be made public

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled for public disclosure of names on a petition to overturn a gay rights law in Washington state. Those for disclosure say it is an important victory for the public’s right to check signatures and to discover who are supporting particular political stances. -db SeattlePI.com June 24, 2010 By Chris Grygiel [...]

Supreme Court ruling on employer montoring of e-mail messages leaves intact right of public’s right to know

While ruling that  an Ontario police department armed with a legitimate purpose had the right to inspect an officer’s text messages, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the pubic’s right to know under the California Public Records Act. The Court said that police officers should realize their writings may be subject to public viewing. -db Washington Post [...]

Federal court allows New York police to keep convention surveillance records secret

The New York City Police Department won a victory as the 2nd Circuit panel ruled that it did not have to release police surveillance records gathered before the 2004 Republican National Convention. The panel found in this case that police privilege trumped the public’s right to know. -db Courthouse News Service June 9, 2010 By [...]

First Amendment Coalition & SacBee file suit for names of Sacramento County retirees with highest pensions

The Sacramento Bee and the First Amendment Coalition have filed a lawsuit to force the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System to release the names of all its retirees with pensions of over $100,000. -db The Sacramento Bee April 16, 2010 By Robert Lewis The Sacramento Bee and the First Amendment Coalition on Thursday filed a [...]

Open government advocates sue California State University campus over lack of transparency on Palin contract

Californians Aware is suing Cal State Stanislaus over their failure to provide documents about the fee they are paying Sarah Palin to speak at a June 25 fundraiser. They claim that the public’s right to know outweighs privacy concerns. -db San Francisco Chronicle April 17, 2010 By Nanette Asimov In the latest salvo in the [...]

Cleveland newspaper causes stir by unmasking anonymous poster – a judge

In revealing the identity of a person posting comments on their site under the moniker “lawmiss”, the Cleveland Plain Dealer believed that the public’s right to know outweighed the importance of protecting the privacy of anonymous commentators. The “lawmiss” postings, it turned out, came from the e-mail address of a judge. -db The Plain Dealer [...]

Provision of health care reform requires drug companies to report payments to doctors

A provision of the national health care law passed last week allows the public to know the gifts and payments made to doctors and teaching hospitals by pharmaceutical companies. -db California Watch Commentary March 24, 2010 By Christina Jewett A little-noticed provision in the health reform bill will shed significant light on the payments drug [...]

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 [...]

Court denies access to wiretaps of ex-Governor Spitzer

A federal appeals court ruled that prosecutors may withhold records of wiretaps about the beginnings of the investigation into a prostitution ring that resulted in the resignation of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. -DB The New York Times August 8, 2009 By Benjamin Weiser Prosecutors do not have to release secret court records relating to wiretaps [...]