Category «Freedom of Information»

The Leaky Leviathan: Why the Government Condemns and Condones Unlawful Disclosures of Information

The Leaky Leviathan: Why the Government Condemns and Condones Unlawful Disclosures of Information, David Pozen, Columbia Law School. March 2013, Harvard Law Review, Forthcoming “The United States government leaks like a sieve. Presidents denounce the constant flow of classified information to the media from unauthorized, anonymous sources. National security professionals decry the consequences. And yet …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Pogo Blog – 5 Great Online Tools for Mining Public Records

Lili Shirley: “Thanks to our open records laws, you can find a treasure trove of information on the webeverything from details about publically traded companies to where stimulus funds are going. You can even submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests online. Take some time this week to educate yourself about the information and data …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Report – Delivering on Open Government: The Obama Administration's Unfinished Legacy

“The Obama administration has dedicated more effort to strengthening government transparency than previous administrations. The president entered office offering a grand vision for more open and participatory government, and this administration used its first term to construct a policy foundation that can make that vision a reality, issuing an impressive number of directives, executive orders, …

Subjects: Freedom of Information

EPIC Prevails in Two FOIA Cases, Obtains Further Details on Body Scanners

Follow up to related postings on TSA body scanners, via EPIC: “A federal judge has granted EPIC victories in two Freedom of Information Act cases involving the controversial airport body scanners. Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC held that the Department of Homeland Security must turn over two safety reports detailing radiation output by the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

CRS Reports remain out of public domain – new legislation seeks wider access

Sunlight Foundation Blog, by Matthew Rumsey: March 7, 2013, “Representatives Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) reintroduced legislation that will make it easier for the public, the media, and government employees to better understand the important policy matters facing Congress. The bipartisan “Public Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Resolution of 2013” would ensure …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

CRS – Public Access to Data from Federally Funded Research

Public Access to Data from Federally Funded Research: Provisions in OMB Circular A-110. Eric A. Fischer, Senior Specialist in Science and Technology. March 1, 2013 “The results of scientific studies are often used in making government policy decisions. While the studies are often published, traditional federal research funding policies did not require the data on …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents

EPIC Prevails in Social Media Monitoring FOIA Suit

“EPIC has obtained a court order and an opinion in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, requiring the agency to turn over more documents about the monitoring of social media and Internet media organizations. EPIC had previously obtained several hundred pages of documents, revealing that the agency monitors the …

Subjects: Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Commentary – The Saga of Barrett Brown: Inside Anonymous and the War on Secrecy

The Saga of Barrett Brown: Inside Anonymous and the War on Secrecy, By Christian Stork, February 21, 2013 “Alleged hacktivist Barrett Brown, the 31-year old mislabeled spokesman for the shadowy hacker collective known as Anonymous, faces federal charges that could put him away for over a hundred years…His crime: making leaked e-mails accessible to the …

Subjects: E-Mail, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

FBI Records Update: Attempted Assassination of President Ronald Reagan

“On March 31, 1981, John W. Hinckley, Jr., shot President Ronald Reagan and several others in a failed assassination attempt. The FBI conducted an extensive investigation, named REAGAT. This FOIA release consists of an extensive Prosecutive Report submitted by the FBI to the Department of Justice in May 1981 as Justice lawyers considered how to …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

AARP – What Are the Retirement Prospects of Middle-Class Americans?

What Are the Retirement Prospects of Middle-Class Americans? – Barbara A. Butrica Urban Institute; Mikki D. Waid, AARP Public Policy Institute, January 2013 “The past three decades have been difficult for middle-class Americans. Wages have stagnated, and jobs have become less secure. Employee contributions to workplace health insurance and retirement plans have reduced take-home pay. …

Subjects: Freedom of Information

Commentary, action and reason for change – the death of Aaron Swartz

Marcia Hoffman/EFF: “Over the past two years, Aaron was forced to devote much of his energy and resources to fighting a relentless and unjust felony prosecution brought by Justice Department attorneys in Massachusetts. His alleged crimes stemmed from using MIT’s computer network to download millions of academic articles from the online archive JSTOR, allegedly without …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Internet

New on LLRX – FOIA Facts – What Ive Learned

Via LLRX: FOIA Facts – What Ive Learned – Scott A. Hodes’ New Year’s commentary is both an overview and a roadmap to the FOIA process. Scott’s experience has taught him that requesters do not realize that their biggest obstacle to having their requests processed in a timely manner is not usually FOIA offices. The …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

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