About this blog

Case Disclosed is a blog written by students, supervising attorneys, directors, alumni, and friends of the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic.

The views expressed on this blog belong to the author(s) and do not represent the views of Yale Law School or the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic (MFIA).

National Freedom of Information Coalition

Frosty Landon, NFOIC Hall of Famer, remembered for ‘heroic’ efforts to promote open government, establish state coalitions

July 21, 2021

NFOIC supports Puerto Rico coalition in brief calling for financial board transparency

July 14, 2021

Study examines: Does a state constitutional right to know make a difference?

July 13, 2021

Knight FOI Fund provides ‘meaningful vote of support’ to California man seeking Marine emails

July 12, 2021

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Second Circuit Appeal Raises FOIA Question of First Impression

June 8, 2021

By Erik Fredericksen, Stephanie Rice, and Katherine Surma

In 2016, Congress amended the Freedom of Information Act to strengthen citizens’ access to information. In resolving the pending appeal filed by the MFIA Clinic in Seife v. FDA, No.

Unpacking the Black Box: MFIA Tackles Algorithmic Accountability in Connecticut

April 30, 2021

By Chloe Francis, Karen Sung

Federal and local governments and agencies are increasingly using algorithms to either influence or determine actions, policies, services, programs, employment, contracting, rulemaking, budgeting, and resource allocation. Algorithms not only reflect human bias, but they can also, without proper checks and procedures, systematically compound human bias to the further disadvantage of marginalized populations. While algorithms may not be wholly determinative in making such decisions, they have a notable influence that must be subjected to scrutiny.

Government Accountability

No Democracy Without Disclosure: Why the Supreme Court Must Protect the Public’s Right to Know Who’s Behind Dark Money

April 23, 2021

By Emily Wang, Kataeya Wooten, Leah Zukerman

On January 6, 2021, in the hours before many of the President’s supporters stormed the Capitol in a violent effort to halt Congress’s certification of the Electoral College votes, President Trump spoke at the “March to Save America” rally in Washington’s Ellipse. To the agitated crowd, he urged his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol and “fight like hell.” In the months since the deadly January 6 riots at the Capitol, some details have become clear.

First Amendment

Warrantless Border Searches of Electronic Devices Constitutional

March 8, 2021

By Jackson Busch ’22

The First Circuit ruled this month that warrantless searches of electronic devices at the border do not violate the First or Fourth Amendments.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit on behalf of eleven plaintiffs whose electronic devices had been searched by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), either at the physical border or upon arrival from an international flight.

First Amendment