Freedom+Of+Information+Act+(JRog)

"USDOJ: OIP: FOIA Update." __United States Department of Justice__. 23 Apr. 2009 .
 * They make you pay three levels of fees.
 * The statue provides limitation on the amount in each level.
 * The UFIAFSG discusses the three level's provisions in greater detail.

Spainhour, Elizabeth. "Public Employee Fired for Releasing Information to Reporter May Proceed on Section 1983 Retaliation Claim." Weblog post. __The Newsroom Law Blog__. 3 Apr. 2009. 22 Apr. 2009 .
 * A public employee got fired for releasing information to a reporter.
 * A cop saw a case in which a suspect was shot when he was only barricading himself in his apartment.,
 * The suspect had no hostages and was not threatening to shoot anything.
 * A cop there, Andrew, kept wanting to find out the proper protocol for this situation.
 * He asked to be included in an internal review and investigation of the incident, but was not.
 * He then submitted a memorandum that requested an investigation on whether or not that deadly force used in this situation was properly conducted.
 * But that too was ignored.
 * Then he released his memorandum to a reporter of the //Sun//.
 * He did this out of his "concern of public safety"
 * His employment was ultimately terminated.
 * There is question if Andrew had said true facts to assert that he didn't write the memorandum as a duty of his employment.
 * He made a case dealing with this as a violation of his first amendment.
 * Facts show that he was under no duty to write the memorandum.
 * Andrew earlier said that it was part of his job.
 * The court does finds that his speech //may// be protected by the first amendment.
 * He has to prove that the speech was "citizen speech"
 * It had to be about a matter of public concern.
 * Or he had to prove the publication of the memorandum "affected the operation of the company."
 * It still remains to be iffy about whether what he did was considered protected speech.

"State of Connecticut - Freedom of Information Commission." __CT.gov Portal__. 22 Apr. 2009 .
 * This site enforces and administers the provisions of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act.
 * This site also ensures citizen access to the records and meetings of public agencies in the state of Connecticut.
 * They listen to complaints from people that have been denied access to the records or meetings of public agencies in Connecticut.
 * Those people that have been denied, can file a compliant against the public agency within 30 days of the denial.
 * This commission will then schedule a hearing for the complaint.
 * If the company is found that they have violated this, then the commission can order the disclosure of public records.
 * Or they can null and void a decision reached during a public meeting.
 * Or they can impose other appropriate relief.
 * Usually, the person can resolve their differences before the hearing has taken place.
 * The company is required to be "prompt" in providing the information to the public.
 * The freedom of information act allows the members of the public to attend public meetings, but doesn't allow them to speak out at them.
 * There are no forms to be filled out to file a complaint.
 * The commission doesn't help with finding information to file a complaint.

"Lab Watchdog Group Files Lawsuit Claiming Violation of Freedom of Information Act." __The Independent__ [Livermore] 4 Dec. 2008. __The Independent__. 4 Dec. 2008. 22 Apr. 2009 .
 * Tri-Valley Cares filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration.
 * The lawsuit consists of several suspected violations of the Freedom of Information Act.
 * Says the DOE and the NNSA failed to respond to six separate requests.
 * They took more than 20 days to do it.
 * They did not give a sufficient response in over 18 months.
 * This directly violates the Freedom of Information.
 * Also greatly diminishes the value of the information wanted.
 * Tri-Valley Cares is a watchdog organization.
 * It relies on FOIA or other open government laws to do its work on behalf of the community.
 * DOE and NNSA have taken away this right through neglect.
 * Also through abuse.
 * They are filling this case to protect the public's right to information about the government.
 * Tri-Valley Cares' FOIA requests concern the activities and operations of LLNL.
 * In one the request seeks information about the Lab's Institutional Biosafety Committee.
 * A year later they have yet to receive anything about it.
 * Another request is about a federal assessment of the Lab's security programs that took place earlier this year.
 * According to them, the lab failed the most critical portions of that assessment.
 * They've noted a pattern and practice by DOE and NNSA failing to comply with the FOIA.
 * They plan to address this pattern and practice.
 * A favorable ruling could have national implications.
 * A spokesperson for the Lab, Lynda Seaver, said that the Lab had fulfilled the requests.

Walters, Rob. "Ask the Editor — Sunshine Week advances public's right to know." __Frederick News Post__ 28 Mar. 2009. __Frederick News Post__. 28 Mar. 2009. 22 Apr. 2009 .
 * Sun Week is a national push toward cooperation of companies and access to public records.
 * Ashcroft wrote guidelines that worked against the Freedom of Information Act.
 * His guidelines encouraged companies to take their time to respond.
 * It told them to slowly look for technicalities in order to reject it.
 * News Post reporters and editors have piles of rejected requests.
 * These rejections were based mostly on technicalities.
 * Companies really take Ashcroft's guidelines to heart.
 * Holder directed the agencies to stop what they were doing and to turn their ways around.
 * His memo says that "First, an agency should not withhold information simply because it may do so legally,"
 * It also states, "I strongly encourage agencies to make discretionary disclosures of information. An agency should not withhold records merely because it can demonstrate, as a technical matter, that the records fall within the scope of a FOIA exemption."
 * News-Post staff members have used FOIA and MD's Public Information Act to save records that were totally dead.
 * The FBI tried to block access to information from Harold Weisberg who was writing a thing about JFK's assassination.
 * They thought he was a communist.
 * One time in Fort Detrick, anthrax spores had escaped the carefully guarded suits into unprotected areas of the building.
 * The News-Post got a 361 page report on this incident through a FOIA request.
 * Justin Palk, a staff writer, used obtained reports of accidents to help with a certain anaylisis.
 * He found that there was a spot on Md. 75 that had a fatal crash rate three times more than the national average.
 * There are searchable databases on domestic violence around Frederick County.
 * There are searchable databases on air space violaters over Camp David.
 * There are searchable databases on Taser use by local law enforcment ageincies.
 * There are searchable databases on salaries of public employees.
 * Laser-focused requests are the best.
 * They will help you in getting a more likely chance of getting the document you want.
 * You should know exactly what you want though.