Brechner News

As federal agencies increasingly use artificial intelligence to process public records requests, new research calls for stronger transparency requirements. In the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary, Ronald Capaldi argues that the U.S. government should implement algorithmic audits to monitor how AI is used in the FOIA process. 

The Journal of Civic Information is launching a Research Competition and Special Issue to mark the upcoming 60th anniversary of FOIA.

A study from the Hong Kong University Business School suggests that Freedom of Information Act requests aren’t just tools for transparency – they can also move markets.

A new partnership led by MuckRock and involving the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC), the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Brechner Freedom of Information Project is working to help journalists acquire the information they need to inform the public. 

Watchdog group, American Oversight has filed a lawsuit in federal court to compel the United States Justice Department to release records related to Emil Bove, a senior DOJ official and federal judicial nominee facing multiple controversies.

Universities should proactively post records of research misconduct investigations on their websites to strengthen trust in academic science, argue Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus in a recent paper published in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

A national hunting advocacy group is alleging that members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission violated the state’s Public Records Act and is asking Gov. Bob Ferguson to remove them from office.

Thomas M. Susman, a longtime FOI champion, recounts the development of the 1974 Freedom of Information Act amendments in a new article published in the Journal of Civic Information. 

The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the Trump administration for failing to release records identifying industrial polluters who requested exemptions from Clean Air Act protections. 

University of North Carolina professor David Ardia argues that the public’s right to access government information should be a constitutional right—not just a statutory one. 

In a recent opinion, the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed that the district’s mayor’s office must publish agency budget requests under the city’s Freedom of Information Act, and that failure to proactively post the records could result in punishment. The case, District of Columbia v. Terris, Pravlik & Millian challenged more than two decades of noncompliance with a 2004 D.C. Council mandate requiring publication online of pre-budget materials

A survey of investigative journalists found that limited access to government records and sources remains the greatest challenge to holding public officials accountable.