FPF sues Justice Department over Qatari plane secrecy
The U.S. classifies far too many secrets, obstructing democracy.
Excessive government secrecy takes many forms, from agencies needlessly claiming documents are classified to ignoring information requests and destroying records — even when the documents show government fraud or illegal conduct. This hinders a free press, effective oversight, and the public’s ability to self govern.
We need to fight for systemic improvements, and we need the press to vigorously question the government every time it says something is classified.
Featured Items
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The Supreme Court leaks keep coming — and that’s good
In the week since Politico dropped its blockbuster reporting on a draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the floodgates of leaks have opened. That’s a good thing.
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Senate FOIA hearing brings hard questions for government witnesses
Lawmakers called for modernization and an answer to a “basic question about how FOIA is operating in the context of new technology.”
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Supreme Court entrenches ‘state secrets’ privilege, dealing a blow to accountability
The Supreme Court upheld and potentially expanded its pernicious “state secrets” privilege in two opinions late last week relating to expansive government surveillance and anti-terrorism programs.
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Appeals court says that Nixon’s attempt to prosecute Pentagon Papers reporter must stay secret — 50 years later
The Nixon admin tried to prosecute the New York Times under the same statute the Justice Department is going after Julian Assange today.
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Understanding the new CIA mass surveillance scandal
The CIA is operating a mass surveillance program affecting Americans entirely in secret.
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Government secrecy kills
Even the Director of National Intelligence admits the U.S. secrecy system is horribly broken.
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‘Concerns’ raised in NSA watchdog report, but still no meaningful oversight
Stop us if you've heard this one before: the NSA failed to follow procedural and policy requirements surrounding the use of surveillance data collected on U.S. persons, according to a new report from the group's Office of the Inspector General.
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Victory on the horizon in the “Free PACER” fight
The fight to free PACER, the federally managed database of public court records that has sat behind a paywall since its inception, has stretched on for more than a decade now. These efforts may finally pay off in 2022 with a bill poised for the Senate floor that achieves many of the aims of the "free PACER" movement.
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New lawsuit could finally bring FOIA transparency to the halls of Congress
Legislative Branch records don’t receive the kind of public scrutiny the Freedom of Information Act brings to the Executive, but that could change thanks to a novel lawsuit over video records related to the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
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Fifty years ago today, Senator Mike Gravel read the Pentagon Papers into the official record. More lawmakers should follow his lead.
While the New York Times and the Washington Post were tied up in the Supreme Court over whether they could report on the leaked Pentagon Papers, Senator Mike Gravel took matters into his own hands.
