FOIA News: CPSC proposes to amend FOIA regs

The Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to revise its FOIA regulations as outlined in a notice published in the Federal Register today. Most of the amendments pertain to fee provisions. Comments will be accepted through June 30, 2020.

FOIA News: BLM sued to prevent disclosure of Burning Man info

Burning Man Sues Feds to Block Release of Financial Records

By Nicholas Iovino, Courthouse News Serv., Apr. 13, 2020

Burning Man organizers sued the Bureau of Land Management on Sunday to block the agency from turning over “confidential financial information” to a fervent critic who claims the annual festival cheats his rural Nevada county out of vital revenue each year.

The Burning Man Project is challenging the bureau’s March 30 decision to disclose information requested by David Skelton, a board member of Pershing County’s Economic Development Authority and 2020 candidate for county commissioner.

Read more here.

FOIA News: CDC seeking two FOIA analysts to deal with surge

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a vacancy announcement for two government information specialists to work on requests, appeals, and litigation at its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC has seen a spike in FOIA activity since the coronavirus outbreak.

FOIA News: State Dep't FOIA staff teleworking

On April 9, 2020, the State Department announced on its FOIA web page that its staff was teleworking and would not have access to FOIA requests or appeals submitted via mail or fax. See the announcement here.

FOIA News: State Department litigation delays continue

Covid-19 Delays State Department’s Documents in Media FOIA Suit

By Daniel Seiden, Bloomberg Law, Apr. 8, 2020

• Parties agree to 60-day stay of production

• FOIA compliance ability ‘severely compromised’

The Covid-19 outbreak requires the U.S. State Department to delay production of documents in a lawsuit seeking information about communications with Fox News and other media outlets, parties told a Washington federal court.

Plaintiff Democracy Forward Foundation has agreed to a 60-day stay in production of documents in the Freedom of Information Act suit, and the department will provide an update on document production in 30 days, they told the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a Tuesday joint status report.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Tips on Making FOIA Requests About COVID-19

Tips on Making FOIA Requests About COVID-19

By Toby McIntosh, Global Investigative Journalism Network, Apr. 8, 2020

Journalists already are actively using freedom of information (FOI) laws to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and how their governments have responded. To assist in these efforts, GIJN has developed a preliminary guide, with examples and tips.

No list of suggestions will be complete, or suitable, to different national situations. But good requesting practices are similar worldwide. And with the ongoing pandemic, there are commonalities in many national situations, so thoughts on what to ask for are relevant across borders.

Read more here.

FOIA News: OIP tech workshop to be held on April 20th

BEST PRACTICES WORKSHOP ON TECHNOLOGY IN FOIA TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY

By Office of Info. Policy, FOIA Post, Apr. 7, 2020

The Office of Information Policy (OIP) continues its Best Practices Workshop Series with a workshop on FOIA and technology.  This session, previously scheduled for January and cancelled due to inclement weather, will be held on April 20, 2020 from 10am-12pm via online teleconference.  Please note the new  time.

Read more here.

FOIA News: OGIS blog post on COVID-19

COVID-19 and FOIA: Observations and Useful Links

By Office of Gov’t Info. Serv., Apr. 7, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life in the United States, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process is no exception. We will be sharing information in the coming weeks about how agencies are responding and providing links to resources that we hope will be useful to you. 

Read more here.

FOIA News: State Dep't stays clear of discovery dispute in Clinton FOIA case

State Department won't support Hillary Clinton effort to dodge deposition over email server and Benghazi

by Jerry Dunleavy, Wash Exam’r, Apr. 6, 2020

The State Department declined to join former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s effort to convince an appeals court to let her dodge a judge-ordered sworn deposition about her use of a private email server and the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack.

“The Court agrees with Judicial Watch — it is time to hear directly from Secretary Clinton," U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled in March while also ordering former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills to be deposed by the conservative watchdog.

Read more here.

FOIA News: See annual FOIA reports from 1975 to 2018

Marquette University has published a compilation of FOIA annual reports from 1975 through 2018. The Office of Information Policy’s website maintains annual reports from 1998 through 2019 here.