News
ACLU v. NSA: How Greater Transparency Can Reduce the Chilling Effects of Mass Surveillance
In 1981, President Reagan issued Executive Order (E.O.) 12,333, which has since come to serve as a general charter for mass intelligence surveillance.
The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016: A New Era of Government Openness?
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was first enacted in 1966, establishing the structure of FOIA as we know it today. Since then, the story of FOIA has included a tug-of-war between greater government openness and greater government secrecy, as different administrations have favored or disfavored openness.
“Much Ado About Nothing:” NYC Withholds Information on Empty Internet Piping
If you ever want to ruin a party in NYC (and/or potentially start a riot), just say the names Time Warner, RCN, Verizon, etc. and watch the anger snowball.
The Exemption 7 Escape from Government Disclosure of Sensitive, Non-classified Information
One of FOIA’s strongest exemptions is, unsurprisingly, for classified information.
Prospective Injunctions Under FOIA
Even for its strongest advocates and those who regularly exercise the rights it grants, the Freedom of Information Act is often reduced to its most-invoked provision: the obligation of federal agencies to produce specific records in response to requests.
The Risks of Trump's Proposal to Speed Up Drug Approvals
President Trump has signaled—often and recently—that he believes drug approval moves too slowly. Meeting with drug manufacturers at the White House on Jan. 31, Trump promised quick yes-or-no approval decisions on new drugs (and stressed the need for lower prices and U.S.-based manufacturing). But the FDA moves fast already— fast enough, say some experts who worry about the standards used to move drugs through review pathways like Priority Review, Breakthrough Therapy, Accelerated Approval, and Fast Track. And when the president pushes for even less rigor, these questions become even more