FOI Blog

VCOG asks that Fredericksburg make the resumes of candidates to fill a vacant city council seat be made availabe to the public Last year, Del. David Bulova carried a bill at VCOG’s request that was aimed at making sure citizens knew the names and qualifications of people who the rest of the board would decide…

On personnel information, Virginia’s appeals courts have spoken. The Mecklenburg Sun doesn’t have the widest circulation or the biggest internet presence, but its story today — in my opinion — has BIG implications for Virginia FOIA users. But only if local and state governmental bodies respect it and the public insists on it. The paper posted…

Citizen discontent is real. Fighting their FOIA requests doesn’t help.

This FOIA Council meeting was fairly brief, but it did much to clarify where folks are coming from 

Over-the-top descriptions don’t reflect well on the office

Too many public bodies in the Old Dominion show disdain for their fellow Americans 

Another government brief that bends over backwards to withhold information from the public. 

VCOG has filed an amicus brief in the same case arguing the opposite. 

Not really what we had in mind when when the FOIA Council launched in 2000. 

Given how many different committees I find myself in discussing FOIA and transparency legislation, it often feels like I have as many clients as the professionals do instead of just one, VCOG, and sometimes the goals of my job as an advocate versus those of my job as VCOG’s lobbyist aren’t compatible.

The policy flaw in the judge’s decision is that it allows a major category of public employees to remain anonymous. Specifically, it gives individuals who have the power of life or death over their fellow citizens to be paid from taxpayer funds without any accountability.

The FOIA Council should return to its roots and proceed collaboratively  

It’s become predictable. Some tragedy, some catastrophe, some breakdown, something’s gone terribly wrong. Everyone’s reeling. Questions are multiplying. Rumors are flying. So it is understandable that in their zeal to Do Something, many public bodies most closely impacted by the event rush to launch an investigation. Please. Someone. Tell us what went wrong. Then, weeks…

Rocking chair quarterbacking the past week  

An Arkansas state senate committee hearing warmed my heart. Pig Sooie!  

The optics of this fee estimate are not good.  

Please stop making up reasons to redact names form public records so I can stop using all-caps.

A controversy over meeting recordings in Augusta County could use a bit of clarity  

In an era marked by political polarization and heightened mistrust in public institutions, it is crucial to identify areas of agreement that outstrip party lines. One such area lies in government transparency.

A Virginia Supreme Court ruling on what constitutes “public business” continues a string of pro-access cases in the past few years.

In a brief podcast posted on Substack, Megan tells a story on herself and reminds us that mistakes should be met with grace when possible.

A deep dive into requests made through MuckRock      

Retreats may be more informal for members of the public body, but they still require notice and minutes like other public meetings.

Between bad actors and dismissive attitudes, our FOIA law is being crushed

The Virginia Supreme Court weighs in on pandemic-era electronic meeting and potentially upends the apple cart