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Commentary: Why we need FOIA reform now

2014-09-17T15:43:32-05:00

By Anne L. Weismann Roll Call Originally published Sept. 17, 2014 Congress has returned from a month-long recess with a full plate and few legislative days left. Although it faces many competing priorities, Congress must pass the FOIA Improvement Act of 2014, a bill that enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. If enacted, this legislation truly will be a game changer, restoring the Freedom of Information Act to its original intended purpose of offering a “check against corruption” and “hold[ing] the governors accountable to the governed,” in the words of the Supreme Court. Key provisions of the [...]

Commentary: Why we need FOIA reform now2014-09-17T15:43:32-05:00

Former ‘Eagle’ editor, publisher Donnis Baggett honored at FOI Foundation conference

2014-09-15T14:47:12-05:00

The Eagle Staff Report Originally published Sept. 13, 2014 Veteran journalist Donnis Baggett, former publisher and editor of The Eagle, was honored Friday by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas for his work in fighting for open government and the First Amendment. Baggett, who is executive vice president of the Texas Press Association, leads the group's governmental affairs program, which focuses on protecting open records, open meetings and public notice at all levels of government. "When you wrap yourself in the First Amendment for four decades, it's always front of mind, and it's easy to assume that it's front of [...]

Former ‘Eagle’ editor, publisher Donnis Baggett honored at FOI Foundation conference2014-09-15T14:47:12-05:00

Legal contracts, details of Perry’s representation, now secret

2014-09-10T15:41:45-05:00

By Angela Morris Texas Lawyer Originally published Sept. 9, 2014 When Gov. Rick Perry, facing two felony charges, chose to pay his lawyers from his campaign account instead of using state funds, the move eased the burden on taxpayers but also drew a veil of secrecy across details of Perry's representation. Using the Texas Public Information Act, Texas Lawyer asked the Office of the Governor for legal contracts and payment amounts for five lawyers that Perry hired immediately following his indictment. The office only released the contracts for criminal defense lawyer David Botsford, who received $79,550 in June, and Baker Botts [...]

Legal contracts, details of Perry’s representation, now secret2014-09-10T15:41:45-05:00

Free speech case springs from fracking dispute

2014-09-05T19:44:22-05:00

By Jim Malewitz The Texas Tribune Originally published Sept. 5, 2014 Steve Lipsky’s tainted water well had already stirred national debate about the impacts of oil and gas production. Now it stars in a free speech dispute that has landed in Texas’ highest court – the biggest test of a state law meant to curb attempts to stifle public protest. So much methane has migrated into the well on Lipsky’s Parker County estate that he can ignite the stream that flows from it with the flick of a barbeque lighter. The Wisconsin transplant blames the phenomenon on nearby gas drilling in [...]

Free speech case springs from fracking dispute2014-09-05T19:44:22-05:00

Texas Supreme Court voids order to identify blogger

2014-09-04T13:21:18-05:00

By Chuck Lindell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Aug. 29, 2014 An Ohio company, seeking to sue a sharply critical blogger who wrote under a pseudonym, cannot use the Texas courts to discover the online author’s identity, a divided Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday. The 5-4 decision voided a Harris County district judge’s ruling that ordered Google Inc., which operated the blog’s online home, to disclose the blogger’s name and address so the company would know who to sue for defamation and business disparagement. To order such pre-lawsuit disclosures, however, a Texas court must first establish that the person targeted for a [...]

Texas Supreme Court voids order to identify blogger2014-09-04T13:21:18-05:00
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