Category «Freedom of Information»

ACLU Seeks Documents from Administration on Plans for Permitting Discrimination Against Women, LGBT Community

“The American Civil Liberties Union has demanded documents from four federal agencies concerning a potential executive order that would sanction religiously motivated discrimination against LGBT people, members of minority faiths, women, and people seeking reproductive health care…The Freedom of Information Act requests were filed with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Justice, and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Privacy

Why is federal government data disappearing?

The Hill: “The White House recently deleted all of the data on its open data portal, which served as a public clearinghouse for data on everything from federal budgets to climate change initiatives. This is a red flag, since for eight years, the Obama White House championed the practice of making government data freely available …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

CRS – The Law and Leaks to the Press

CRS Reports & Analysis Legal Sidebar – The Law and Leaks to the Press, 02/22/2017: “President Trump has expressed concern over leaks to the press from within the Executive Branch. Earlier administrations, particularly the Obama Administration, acted upon similar concerns to prosecute officials, employees, and contractors who leaked classified information or certain military information to …

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

ProPublica Project – Documenting Hate

“The 2016 election left many in America afraid – of intolerance and the violence it can inspire. The need for trustworthy facts on the details and frequency of hate crimes and other incidents born of prejudice has never been more urgent. At this point, there is simply no reliable national data on crimes. And no …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The Presidential Timeline Project

“The Presidential Timeline project supports educators in developing students’ historical thinking skills and promoting civic engagement. The project consists of the Presidential Timeline website, Summer Teacher Institutes and webinars. The National Archives provides historical content and primary sources, and the University of Texas at Austin provides technical skills to create and maintain the website. Both …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Atlantic FAQ on President Trump and conflict of interest issues

The Atlantic – “President Donald Trump still has not taken the necessary steps to distance himself from his businesses while in office. In accordance with a plan that he and one of his lawyers, Sheri Dillon, laid out at a press conference on January 11, Trump has filed paperwork to remove himself from the day-to-day …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

The real National Treasure: US presidential libraries

Oxford University Press Blog: “…A presidential library is actually two things,” Giller [Melissa Giller, Chief Marketing Officer for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Institute in Simi Valley, California] describes. “It’s a museum that anyone can come and visit and tour through…and it is a library.” The library is, more often than not, the private …

Subjects: E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Animal welfare data deleted by government restored to public by Russ Kick

Follow up to previous posting – Animal welfare information wiped from USDA website – news via TIME on the freedom of information evangelist Russ Kick – “An Arizona man who has published thousands of animal welfare documents on his website since the government purged the once-public information is pledging to keep digging up data until …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

AALL joins 60 advocacy groups calling for open access info on government websites

Via AALL: On February 14, 2017 “the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) partnered with OpenTheGovernment.org and more than 60 other public interest groups and associations on a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), asking OMB to issue guidance reminding agencies that they are required under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Murray, Cantwell Seek Answers After Resource Website for Federal Law Protecting Students with Disabilities is Taken Down

“Washington state Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell today called on new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to provide an immediate and detailed explanation for why the resource website for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has disappeared. “The Department’s failure to keep this critical resource operational makes it harder for parents, educators, and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

Amnesty International – Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya prison, Syria

Report – Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya prison, Syria: “One former judge from a Syrian military court told Amnesty International the “court” operates outside the rules of the Syrian legal system. “The judge will ask the name of the detainee and whether he committed the crime. Whether the answer is yes or …

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

Establishing Digital Interactive Transparency Act

News release, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) reintroducing the Establishing Digital Interactive Transparency (EDIT) Act. “The EDIT Act will instruct the Library of Congress to open up the legislative process by implementing a track changes style system for Congress.gov. “Americans want accountability and transparency out of their lawmakers in Washington, and as lawmakers, we must work …

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

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