Deloitte, a big four accounting firm, has started a FOIA practice to help agencies manage FOIA requests. As many readers know, this space has largely been inhabited by smaller vendors – it will be interesting to see if this product
The FOIA Blog
The FOIA Blog focuses on issues related to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), covering topics such as government transparency, public access to federal records, and legal developments affecting FOIA requests. It discusses procedural aspects of FOIA, litigation trends, policy changes, and the impact of FOIA on public accountability. The blog also addresses related statutes and regulations governing information disclosure and privacy concerns. Published by The FOIA Blog, it serves as a resource for understanding the evolving landscape of information access laws and their practical implications for government agencies, requesters, and legal practitioners.
Latest from The FOIA Blog - Page 2
Oversight Idea
By Scott Hodes
I just spent time trying to find an agency’s FOIA liaison because the agency failed to properly read the request and closed it. I finally found the contact by a google search because the agency did not post the liaison
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Supreme Court to Hear Exemption 4 Case
By Scott Hodes
Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an Exemption 4 case where the requester, the South Dakota Argus Leader has sought information on the food stamp program – namely how much money the different retailers get from participating in
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EPA Denied Stay In Processing Wheeler Emails
By Scott Hodes
The Washington Post has this on the EPA’s attempt to not have to process interim EPA Chief Andrew Wheeler’s emails until 2022. A court denied this stay and ordered the EPA to release the documents within the next ten months.
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Interior Proposes Updated FOIA Regulations
By Scott Hodes
Even though its largely closed due to a lapse in funding, the Interior Department has published new proposed FOIA regulations. The new regulations would allow the agency to limit the amount of requests made by a requester in a
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Farm Bill – No FOIA Provisions Were Included
By Scott Hodes
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has this on the recently passed Farm Bill. The House of Representatives attempted to sneak through an anti-transparency FOIA exemption concerning SNAP data but that was not included in the final bill. However,
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The FOIA Project: DOJ Under Reports Attorney Fee Awards
By Scott Hodes
The FOIA Project is out with a report that finds that the Department of Justice, which must report attorney fee reports by law, under reports the amount of the fees. Only a fraction of cases in litigation result in attorney
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DC Circuit Rules Trump Tax Records Exempt Under FOIA
By Scott Hodes
The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled that Donald J. Trump’s personal tax returns are exempt from release under FOIA Exemption 3. It’s not a surprising result as 6103 of the IRS statute prevents tax
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Interior Names Political As FOIA Officer
By Scott Hodes
The Hill has this on the Interior Department’s naming of a political appointee to be the Chief FOIA Officer. The article also discusses Interior’s belief that the uptick on FOIA requests and litigation is caused by its FOIA processes not
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Discovery Ordered in Clinton Email FOIA Case
By Scott Hodes
Judge Royce Lamberth of the District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered discovery in a FOIA case against the State Department concerning its search for emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The most interesting part of
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