New Federal FOIA Guidelines Bring Back Presumption of Openness
There could be fewer Sunshine Week presents more welcome in the FOI community than the new "Holder memo," a directive from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder directing all executive branch departments and agencies to administer Freedom of Information Act requests with a presumption of openness.
The move overrides the Ashcroft memo, so-named for the former attorney general who gave agencies more leeway to deny FOIA requests.
"By restoring the presumption of disclosure that is at the heart of the Freedom of Information Act, we are making a critical change that will restore the public's ability to access information in a timely manner," said Attorney General Holder... (Read the rest here...)
May the Commonwealth of Massachusetts successfully fix our the weak points of our own Public Records Law. These allow both the state and municipalities leeway to abuse it, given how the legal entity who makes determinations about public access, the State Supervisor of Records, does not hold enforcement powers of his own orders.
