Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

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On July 8, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a final rule regarding its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations. The SEC was considering imposing a 30-day time limit in which to file an appeal under FOIA. Instead, the SEC extended the time frame to 90 days.

National Whistleblower Center General Counsel David K. Colapinto submitted comments to the SEC regarding the proposed 30-day time limit. The SEC refers to Mr. Colapinto’s submission in the discussion of the final rule stating that he, “objected to the imposition of a 30 day time frame in which to file an appeal as too short and asserted that it ‘does not afford individuals (such as whistleblowers and individual investors) sufficient time to find legal representation or to file a substantive appeal.’”
Continue Reading Deadline for FOIA Appeals at SEC Extended to 90 days


Truthout reporter Jason Leopold is reporting today that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released five pages of a PowerPoint presentation that describe a previously unknown program of “blackballing” records that would not be disclosed in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Labor historian Trevor Griffey obtained the document while following…

A D.C. Superior Court judge recently released Donald E. Gates, who spent 28 years in prison for a murder and rape he did not commit. The court also expunged Mr. Gates’ conviction after it was determined that the government’s expert, FBI crime lab examiner Michael P. Malone, lied about the hair and fibers evidence that Malone claimed linked Gates to the rape and murder.
Continue Reading Another Hidden Victim Freed In FBI Lab Scandal

The National Whistleblower Center has joined an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court to support the rights of FOIA requesters.  The amicus brief was filed by the National Security Archive, OpenTheGovernment.org, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the National Whistleblower Center, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 

A copy of the amicus…

President Bush has signed into law the first legislation in more than a decade to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act. The Open Government Act of 2007, signed by Bush on New Years eve, contains several important changes and improvements to the Freedom of Information Act.

The new law establishes enforceable deadlines for agencies to…