The Government Doesn't Want You To See the Unused Space Force Logos
It took the Air Force four years to release redacted records of its quest to create spiffy new uniforms for the newest branch of the military.
FOIA
Without More Accountability, Sunshine Laws Are Toothless
An AP survey found that most states have no mechanism to appeal denials of records requests, outside of filing a lawsuit.
Florida Bills Would Hide the Names of Police Officers Who Kill People
The bills would classify police and correctional officers who kill people on the job as crime victims.
HUD Refuses To Release Secretary Marcia Fudge's Email Address in Response to Reason FOIA Request
Cabinet officials often use pseudonymous email accounts, but declaring them secret from records requests is another matter altogether.
Florida Supreme Court Rules Police Can't Use Marsy's Law To Hide Names of Officers Who Shoot People
"Marsy's Law guarantees to no victim—police officer or otherwise—the categorical right to withhold his or her name from disclosure," the Florida Supreme Court ruled.
Inside Ron DeSantis' Crackdown on Drag Shows
"Is there any way to stop this from happening tomorrow?" Ron DeSantis' former chief of staff asked about a Christmas-themed drag show on tour in Florida.
Do the Proud Boys Deserve To Be in Prison Forever?
Plus: A listener question concerning porn verification laws.
Joe Biden's Email Aliases Are a Potentially Serious Transparency Problem
Multiple administrations have allowed senior officials to use alias email accounts. The practice undermines the Freedom of Information Act and encourages secrecy.
This Scientist Used To Spread Climate Change Alarmism. Now She's Trying To Debunk It.
The doomsday consensus around climate change is "manufactured," says scientist Judith Curry.
Massachusetts District Attorney Sued for Refusing To Release Names of Problem Cops
Massachusetts reformed its notoriously bad public records laws in 2020, but reporters are still fighting to get the police misconduct files they're legally entitled to.
Judge Rules New York State Police Must Disclose Misconduct Records
It's been nearly three years since New York repealed its police secrecy law, and departments are still fighting to hide misconduct records.
Want Better Journalism and Less B.S.? Demand Stronger Public Record Laws.
Even if you despise the media, you should be rooting for better public record laws.
Reason Files FOIA Lawsuit Against Bureau of Prisons for Inmate Death Records
Reason reported in 2020 on allegations of fatal medical neglect inside two federal women's prisons. The Bureau of Prisons heavily redacted reports that would show if women died of inadequate care.
Correspondence About UC Irvine Professor's Alleged Plagiarism Is Public Record, Subject to Disclosure
Retraction Watch prevails in a California appellate case.
New Jersey Town That Sued a Woman for Public Records Requests Now Wants Lawyer Prosecuted for Same Thing
Irvington made national headlines last year when it filed a lawsuit against an 82-year-old woman for filing too many public records requests. Now it says a lawyer for FIRE should be prosecuted.
Dungeons & Dragons Is Apparently Banned in Federal Prisons
State prisons around the country ban the roleplaying game, too, because of bizarre concerns about gang behavior and security threats.
The FBI Closely Tracked Aretha Franklin's Appearances at Civil Rights Events
The FBI used a network of snitches to spy on entertainers and activists, and the Queen of Soul was no exception.
The FBI Kept Tabs on Mort Sahl's Jokes About It, and Hoover Thought Sahl Was a 'Sick Man'
The late standup comedian's FBI file says he "ridiculed the FBI, law enforcement, and high public officials, beyond the bounds of good humor."
Do Small Town Cops Need Training in Israeli Counterterror Techniques?
U.S. taxpayers have been paying for training that encourages aggressive policing.
IRS Stole Money and Hid the Details for Years
As law enforcement agencies patrol for profit, the secrecy surrounding cash seizures must stop.
The Feds Spent $22 Million Researching Invisibility Cloaks, UFOs, and a Tunnel Through the Moon
However wonderful it is to imagine a world in which these things are possible, the government shouldn’t be shelling out millions to entertain speculation.
Why Does Border Patrol Need the Ability To Delete Messages?
A lawsuit attempts to find out how federal agents are implementing Wickr, a communications service that has an auto-erase function.
The FBI Is Hiding an Unpublished Police Use-of-Force Database From FOIA Requesters
Three years since it launched, an FBI data collection program on police use-of-force incidents has yet to gain enough participation to release any statistics.
FOIA Advocates Say Biden Administration Is Ignoring Transparency Issues
New administrations usually issue memos on transparency. The Biden administration has ignored calls to do so.
D.C. Cops Conspired to Keep Records From Reporters, Activists, and Critics, Says Lawsuit
Defense lawyer Amy Phillips is suing over what she calls the department's "watchlist policy."
Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bill de Blasio, a Terrible Mayor on Every Issue He Tripped Over
The best thing you could say about Bill de Blasio was that he was good for a laugh.
The Government Let a U.S. Citizen Spend Months in a Foreign Prison for No Good Reason
Amir Meshal was never charged with a crime.
Government Officials' Internet Browsing Histories Are Not Agency Records under FOIA
The D.C. Circuit rejects an effort to obtain internet browsing histories under the Freedom of Information Act
Performative Pandemic Panic
Officials’ cynical manipulation of the public damaged their own credibility as well as the world at large.
The Confusion Surrounding Brian Sicknick's Death Was a Failure of Government Transparency
Blame the media for running anonymous sources, but don't let government off the hook for its secrecy and misinformation.
RIP Mark Schlefer, the Man Who Made FOIA Happen
"In the drafting, we were adamant that you didn't have to have an interest to have access. You could just be a citizen."
I Asked for Public Records on a Fatal Police Shooting. Then a Washington Sheriff's Office Sued Me.
The move is similar to what's known as a "reverse FOIA" lawsuit, which forces the requester to go to court to defend his right to access public records.
CBP Official Allegedly Said Agents Should 'Beat That Tonk Like a Piñata Until Candy Comes Out'
The 2012 internal affairs report complaint was filed by a use-of-force instructor who warned the advice could lead to lawsuits.
A Federal Judge Says William Barr's Spin on the Mueller Report Makes the Attorney General Untrustworthy
Were the Justice Department's redactions influenced by Barr's desire to exonerate the president?
Fed Scientists Filmed Themselves Giving Monkeys Brain Damage. A Watchdog Group Wants the Footage.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health reportedly damaged monkeys' brains with acid before showing them pictures of fruit.
Is the FBI Snooping on Political Groups and Ideological Publications?
The Cato Institute wants Congress to investigate the FBI after it refused to confirm or deny the existence of files on dozens of political advocacy groups.
Expect More Government Secrecy in Business Relationships, Thanks to Supreme Court
Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling expanded when the government can keep business records secret. That's bad news for transparency
In Deadly Drug Raid Case, a Texas County Refuses to Release Information It Has Already Released
Contradictory responses to a request for autopsy reports illustrate how law enforcement agencies take advantage of a broad exception to the state's public records law.
Are Food-Stamp Receipts Beyond the Reach of FOIA? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today
Plus: Violence in Sri Lanka leads to social media suppression, and the White House wants to make it harder for pretrial diversion participants to get government jobs.
You Can't Use FOIA to Get Someone's Tax Returns
A court rejects a clever effort to obtain President Trump's tax records
The Sorry State of FOIA
More than 50 years later, it is a wheezing, arthritic artifact of more optimistic times.
Watchdog Sues to Expose Secret Government Kitten Killing
Thousands of cats have been killed over 50 years of experiments. Why is the USDA denying feline fatality FOIA requests?
Oops! The EPA Published the Social Security Numbers of People Who Filed FOIA Requests
Thanks to a design bug in a government transparency website, dozens of social security numbers were mistakenly made public.
Police Can Refuse to Say Whether Records Exist, New York's Highest Court Rules
In a case brought by two Muslim men seeking surveillance records on themselves, the court approves the NYPD's "neither confirm nor deny" response.