State Secrets

The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same? State Secrets

In September 2009 Attorney General Holder announced a new State Secrets policy that we and others in the openness and accountability community welcomed as an important step towards placing some much needed checks and balances on the use of the privilege. Even as we cheered the announcement, though, we noted that critical questions remained about how the policy would be implemented and judicial review of claims was still necessary. More than two years into the policy's implementation, we are beginning to get a sense of some of those answers. And it does not look good for open and accountable government.

06/22/2012

News Highlights - May 28-31, 2011

State secrets privilege: Time for Congress to end the rubber stamp
Senate passes bill to speed up FOIA requests
Government performance website may not meet congressional requirements

05/31/2011

Groups Urge DOJ to Follow Its State Secrets Policy

On May 16, OpenTheGovernment.org joined the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and approximately two dozen other organizations and individuals in publicly asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement the state secrets policy it announced over a year and a half ago.

05/24/2011

News Highlights - May 24, 2011

Defense Employees Told to Report Suspicious Activities
NYT Reporter Subpoenaed in CIA Case
Senate votes to extend Patriot Act
Open information may mean more errors get published
State Secrets Block Resolution of Contractors’ Suit, Justices Say

05/24/2011

News Highlights - May 17, 2011

Supreme Court Refuses Review of Ruling Upholding Use of State Secrets to Deny Access to Courts
Supreme Court rules on exception to whistleblower law
Data.gov relaunches as a cloud-based open data platform

05/17/2011

Advocates Write in Support of HR 984 the State Secret Protection Act

OpenTheGovernment.org and several partners wrote a letter to the House Judiciary Committee in support of HR 984, the State Secret Protection Act. The signatories support the bill because they feel it strikes an appropriate balance between allowing plaintiffs to seek justice through our judicial system and protecting information that would endanger national security if released to the litigants or the public.

06/10/2009