Category «Freedom of Information»

AP investigation into ethics practices of Supreme Court justices

“An Associated Press examination of the ethics practices of the U.S. Supreme Court relied on documents obtained from more than 100 public records requests to public colleges, universities and other institutions that have hosted the justices over the past decade. Here’s a look at how the reporting was done: To conduct its review, the AP …

Subjects: Courts, Education, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

Lobbyist Database

FMinus: “Companies and organizations that are supposed to be on the right side of the environmental movement too often hire compromised lobbyists. Search our database to find out who’s hiring who—and whether or not their track record is consistent with their values. [Search by State or Search by Client] Launched in July 2023, F Minus …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

Trump ‘Standing Order’ to Declassify Not Found by DOJ, Intelligence Agency

Bloomberg, Jason Leopold: “A “standing order” that former President Donald Trump has claimed authorized him to instantly declassify documents removed from the Oval Office could not be found by either the Justice Department or Office of Director of National Intelligence. The disclosure by the agencies was made in response to a Freedom of Information Act …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Everyone Likes Reading. Why Are We So Afraid of It?

The New York Times: Book bans, chatbots, pedagogical warfare: What it means to read has become a minefield. “Everyone loves reading. In principle, anyway. Nobody is against it, right? Surely, in the midst of our many quarrels, we can agree that people should learn to read, should learn to enjoy it and should do a …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries, Privacy

Chamber of Secrets

Washington Monthly: “…The Supreme Court’s habit of deciding hugely important cases without briefings, arguments, or even a word of explanation threatens democracy. Some progressive legal scholars have coined the term demosprudence to underline that the opinion announcements are the only time that the Court’s members directly address the public. Clearly, however, the justices do not …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Free ABA Webinar Lost Trust: Politics and Intelligence

Four national security lawyers who have served in prominent positions within federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies will discuss whether U.S. institutions have become politicized in a webinar sponsored by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 23. Recent political developments have damaged the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

1,626 Books Were Banned in America Last Year…We Reviewed All of Them

Statecraft: What do these books have in common? By Arman Madani – “The non-profits PEN America and the American Library Association keep a catalog of banned books in the United States up to the 2021-22 academic year. In this 1 academic year alone, 1600+ books were irregularly banned from 138 school districts across America; 3.8 …

Subjects: Censorship, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

OIP’s Redesigned Website Now Released

DOJ – “The Office of Information Policy (OIP) is pleased to announce the release of its redesigned website to align with the broader modernization of Justice.gov.  The redesigned page provides enhanced functionality to meet the requirements of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act and a new design based on the U.S. Web Design System …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

The Supreme Court Is Hiding Important Decisions From You

Politico: “As the Supreme Court begins to release its written opinions from its most recent term, much of the public’s attention is focused on high-profile cases on affirmative action, election law and environmental regulation. But according to Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, this narrow focus on the most headline-grabbing …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Courts, Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

RSF’s 2022 World Press Freedom Index – a new era of polarisation

“The 20th World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reveals a two-fold increase in polarisation amplified by information chaos – that is, media polarisation fuelling divisions within countries, as well as polarisation between countries at the international level. The 2022 edition of the World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the state of …

Subjects: Censorship, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management

Jane Roberts, who is married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show

Business Insider: “Jane Sullivan Roberts, the spouse of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts made more than $10 million in commissions as a headhunter for top-tier law firms between 2007 and 2014, according to internal documents included with a whistleblower complaint. Jane Roberts was paid more than $10 million by a host of elite law …

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