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Appeals court questions Texas’ new school library book rating law

2023-11-30T16:28:06-06:00

By Alejandro Serrano The Texas Tribune Originally published Nov. 29, 2023 Federal appellate judges Wednesday questioned a new Texas law requiring book sellers to rate the explicitness and relevance of sexual references in materials they sell to schools, though it was not clear if the court would allow the regulations to stand. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges’ inquiries centered on House Bill 900’s definitions of sexual content and community standards. They came during a hearing in a legal challenge brought by book vendors who argue the law is unconstitutionally broad and vague. The law seeks to keep so-called [...]

Appeals court questions Texas’ new school library book rating law2023-11-30T16:28:06-06:00

Some Uvalde families call for DPS sanctions over Washington Post photo release

2023-11-17T11:19:17-06:00

By Sofi Zeman Uvalde Leader-News Originally published Nov. 16, 2023 Family members of victims killed and wounded in the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary filed sanctions against the Texas Department of Public Safety for selectively sharing crime scene images with the Washington Post. “The same DPS that stands before this court and argues that this information must be withheld from these families has now released some of this information to the Washington Post – one of the plaintiffs in this suit,” the motion reads. The original media lawsuit was filed in August and seeks to release the department’s 2022 [...]

Some Uvalde families call for DPS sanctions over Washington Post photo release2023-11-17T11:19:17-06:00

Odessa American public records lawsuit against the city has ended

2023-11-05T13:30:37-06:00

By Odessa American Originally published Oct. 20, 2023 The Odessa American’s almost four-year battle with the City of Odessa over public records access is over, as the Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to take up the OA’s appeal of an appellate court decision in March to dismiss the lawsuit. AIM Media Texas LLC attorney John Bussian said the Odessa American “went the distance" — in its case that is a lot like the one against Uvalde— to try to hold the City to the requirement in the Texas public records law that the government ‘promptly’ turn over public records, rather [...]

Odessa American public records lawsuit against the city has ended2023-11-05T13:30:37-06:00

FOI Foundation’s 2023 conference videos now available online

2023-10-04T10:07:03-05:00

Video recordings from the 2023 Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas annual state conference, held in Austin on Sept. 28, are now available online via the foundation's YouTube channel or the FOIFT website. The recordings are free for everyone to view. Here's the link to the FOIFT website page containing the links to the videos: https://foift.org/about/video/  

FOI Foundation’s 2023 conference videos now available online2023-10-04T10:07:03-05:00

Austin American-Statesman, KVUE and KRIS win 2023 Spirit of FOI Awards

2023-09-29T12:16:47-05:00

For Immediate Release Sept. 28, 2023 Austin American-Statesman, KVUE and KRIS win 2023 Spirit of FOI Awards AUSTIN – Texas news organizations that exposed the truth about law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school shooting and revealed a district attorney’s high rate of case dismissals have won this year’s Spirit of FOI Awards. The Austin American-Statesman, KVUE-TV of Austin and KRIS-TV of Corpus Christi received the awards at the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas state conference Thursday. The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award honors journalism that upholds First Amendment rights and promotes or uses open government laws. “When governments [...]

Austin American-Statesman, KVUE and KRIS win 2023 Spirit of FOI Awards2023-09-29T12:16:47-05:00
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