Transparency News 4/21/15
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
State and Local Stories
The administration of a major university, the mayor of Peoria, Illinois, and an Alabama circuit judge are among this year’s recipients of the Jefferson Muzzle awards, given to people or institutions accused of stifling freedom of speech in the United States. The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, based in Albemarle County, gives out the awards each year. Eight entities received this dubious honor for 2015, including:
Daily Progress
Jimmy Howery, who had been the bailiff for the Floyd County Courthouse, said he showed up at work last Thursday just like he had been every day for the last eight years. He arrived promptly at 7:30 a.m., wearing his uniform, ready for another day of courthouse security. Also that morning, a letter to the editor written by Howery appeared in The Floyd Press. He wrote it in support of Doug Weddle, a Republican candidate for Floyd County sheriff. Weddle, a Christiansburg police officer, is running against Brian Craig, a Republican candidate who currently works as a deputy for the county sheriff’s office. Before Howery, 72, could even begin working his shift at General District Court that morning, he said he was called into Sheriff Shannon Zeman’s office. “He asked me to come upstairs, and he was upset that I had wrote my letter,” Howery said. “He told me my services were no longer needed. Evidently, I wasn’t on the same side as everyone else.” Howery was the only bailiff at the courthouse. Currently, Floyd County sheriff’s deputies are filling in since his absence. Since March 26, The Floyd County Press has published four letters of support for Craig from employees of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office. There has only been one letter of support for Weddle — the one written by Howery. All five of the letters had the writers’ positions within the sheriff’s office listed. When reached for comment, Zeman said it was a personnel matter and couldn’t go in to more details.
Roanoke Times
National Stories
Cybersecurity legislation advancing in Congress could create the first brand-new exemption to the Freedom of Information Act in nearly half a century—a prospect that alarms transparency advocates and some lawmakers. A bill approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee last month would add a new tenth exemption to FOIA, covering all "information shared with or provided to the Federal Government" under the new measure. Another provision in the legislation would require that "cyber threat indicators and defensive measures" which companies or individuals share with the federal government be "withheld, without discretion, from the public." The Senate bill, which is expected to come to the floor soon, also seeks to shut off any access to that information under state or local freedom of information laws.
Politico
A California appellate court reversed course on Friday and vacated what media lawyers described as an unconstitutional prior restraint order. Last month, the court sealed a legal brief filed by the Pasadena Police Officers Association that quoted from a confidential report on the 2012 police shooting of teenager Kendrec McDade. The court’s order also directed the parties to the lawsuit, including the Los Angeles Times, which had long sought to obtain the report, to return all copies of the brief to the court. The police union didn’t move to seal the brief until nine days after it had been filed.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Editorials/Columns
The Virginia Board of Elections took the necessary step last week of voting to decertify a certain type of voting machine used in 30 localities, including in York County. A recent report by the Department of Elections found serious security flaws in those devices, prompting the board's action. While we applaud that decision, it does little to alleviate our continued concern about the integrity of elections in the commonwealth. Rather, there are too many outstanding questions, too many inequalities among jurisdictions, and too many glaring needs that remain unaddressed.
Daily Press
Although some of them had to be dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way, Virginia’s lawmakers have finally passed something approaching meaningful ethics reform. Take a moment to savor the accomplishment.
Times-Dispatch
State and Local Stories
The administration of a major university, the mayor of Peoria, Illinois, and an Alabama circuit judge are among this year’s recipients of the Jefferson Muzzle awards, given to people or institutions accused of stifling freedom of speech in the United States. The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, based in Albemarle County, gives out the awards each year. Eight entities received this dubious honor for 2015, including:
Daily Progress
Jimmy Howery, who had been the bailiff for the Floyd County Courthouse, said he showed up at work last Thursday just like he had been every day for the last eight years. He arrived promptly at 7:30 a.m., wearing his uniform, ready for another day of courthouse security. Also that morning, a letter to the editor written by Howery appeared in The Floyd Press. He wrote it in support of Doug Weddle, a Republican candidate for Floyd County sheriff. Weddle, a Christiansburg police officer, is running against Brian Craig, a Republican candidate who currently works as a deputy for the county sheriff’s office. Before Howery, 72, could even begin working his shift at General District Court that morning, he said he was called into Sheriff Shannon Zeman’s office. “He asked me to come upstairs, and he was upset that I had wrote my letter,” Howery said. “He told me my services were no longer needed. Evidently, I wasn’t on the same side as everyone else.” Howery was the only bailiff at the courthouse. Currently, Floyd County sheriff’s deputies are filling in since his absence. Since March 26, The Floyd County Press has published four letters of support for Craig from employees of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office. There has only been one letter of support for Weddle — the one written by Howery. All five of the letters had the writers’ positions within the sheriff’s office listed. When reached for comment, Zeman said it was a personnel matter and couldn’t go in to more details.
Roanoke Times
National Stories
Cybersecurity legislation advancing in Congress could create the first brand-new exemption to the Freedom of Information Act in nearly half a century—a prospect that alarms transparency advocates and some lawmakers. A bill approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee last month would add a new tenth exemption to FOIA, covering all "information shared with or provided to the Federal Government" under the new measure. Another provision in the legislation would require that "cyber threat indicators and defensive measures" which companies or individuals share with the federal government be "withheld, without discretion, from the public." The Senate bill, which is expected to come to the floor soon, also seeks to shut off any access to that information under state or local freedom of information laws.
Politico
A California appellate court reversed course on Friday and vacated what media lawyers described as an unconstitutional prior restraint order. Last month, the court sealed a legal brief filed by the Pasadena Police Officers Association that quoted from a confidential report on the 2012 police shooting of teenager Kendrec McDade. The court’s order also directed the parties to the lawsuit, including the Los Angeles Times, which had long sought to obtain the report, to return all copies of the brief to the court. The police union didn’t move to seal the brief until nine days after it had been filed.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Editorials/Columns
The Virginia Board of Elections took the necessary step last week of voting to decertify a certain type of voting machine used in 30 localities, including in York County. A recent report by the Department of Elections found serious security flaws in those devices, prompting the board's action. While we applaud that decision, it does little to alleviate our continued concern about the integrity of elections in the commonwealth. Rather, there are too many outstanding questions, too many inequalities among jurisdictions, and too many glaring needs that remain unaddressed.
Daily Press
Although some of them had to be dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way, Virginia’s lawmakers have finally passed something approaching meaningful ethics reform. Take a moment to savor the accomplishment.
Times-Dispatch
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