Blog

Supreme Court Rules Against Transparency, Sides with Secrecy

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled against the public’s right to information involving government dealings with private companies and corporations. Following the Court’s ruling, a business need only claim that   Read Full

July 1, 2019

Access to government spending data in limbo as SCOTUS considers FOIA case

On April 22, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, a case that is likely to reveal the Court’s first interpretation of a   Read Full

May 6, 2019

Kevin McAleenan Requests Additional Border Funds as Coalition of Over 100 Organizations Condemn DHS Surveillance of Activists, Journalists, and Lawyers

Before his testimony to Congress today asking for more border funds, Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan was the recipient of a coalition letter from over 100 organizations   Read Full

May 2, 2019

Sunshine and Shadows – Part 2

In Sunshine and Shadows – Part 1 we summarized some of Sunshine Week’s events, noting highs and lows in civil society efforts to advance openness in government. Now we’ll dive   Read Full

March 22, 2019

Sunshine and Shadows – Part 1

Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of the importance of open government and freedom of information, wrapped up earlier this month. Now is a good time to highlight some of the   Read Full

March 21, 2019

Keeping information about waste, fraud and abuse from the public is what is “insane”

In a meeting with his new acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, the president called the practice of making watchdog reports about the U.S. military public “insane.”   Read Full

January 3, 2019

Public remains in the dark after abrupt Syria withdrawal announcement

Just two days before President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he would be immediately withdrawing American troops from Syria, Ambassador James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative on Syria engagement,   Read Full

December 21, 2018

Migrant caravan illustrates greater accountability for U.S. immigration policy south of the border is needed

OTG joins openness advocates, human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico forum As a caravan of thousands of asylum-seeking migrants journey north towards the U.S.-Mexico border, advocates are aligning efforts   Read Full

October 26, 2018

Family Separation Crisis Highlights Urgent Need for Transparency in Immigration System

The Trump administration’s policy to separate families, followed by a rollback that would instead indefinitely detain parents and their children, has made clear that the immigration system lacks crucial transparency   Read Full

June 21, 2018

Despite Skepticism, Voters Believe Government Accountability is Possible: A New Survey & Messaging Toolkit

A new Open The Government survey, conducted by the Winston Group and Lake Research Partners, makes clear that while advocates for accountability face many challenges, there are opportunities to move   Read Full

May 30, 2018