Home » Articles posted by James R. Jacobs (Page 62)
Author Archives: James R. Jacobs
MuckRock’s FOIA redaction hall of shame
In honor of Sunshine week, MuckRock has put together their FOIA Hall of Shame. These would be incredibly funny if they weren’t so egregious and if I didn’t know just how the FOIA submitter felt when she received her completely inadequate response to a FOIA request. Unfortunately, the FOIA law deals only with release of […]
FOIA’d docs reveal how Obama Administration killed FOIA reform
This is extremely disappointing, especially given Obama’s presidential memorandum, signed on his first day in office in 2009, that instructed all government agencies to “adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government.” The Obama […]
John Oliver explains special districts
John Oliver explains special districts on “Last Week Tonight.” These units of government are local government bodies designed to collect taxes dealing with one specific service, like water, parks or sewage. But they are “ghost” entities with little or no oversight and are largely unknown to the public. Hilariously informative!
Open CRS Bill Introduced In House and Senate
This is YUGE! The “Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2016” was introduced in both the House and the Senate, cosponsored by Senators McCain and Leahy and Representatives Lance and Quigley. 40 organizations — including FGI and Stanford University libraries (where I work)! — signed a letter in support of the legislation, […]
ODNI & DOJ release declassified documents … on Tumblr?!
The US Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) just declassified the Bush administration’s memo justifying warrantless surveillance – via PDF on Tumblr! Turns out ODNI has been doing this since 2013. I’m not averse to federal agencies having a social media presence. But the release of declassified and/or FOIA’d documents should NOT be done […]
Latest Comments