Families frustrated by secrecy over Fort Worth ISD’s future leadership
By Jacob Sanchez and Matthew Sgroi Fort Worth Report Originally published Feb. 24, 2026 Nearly 300 people want a seat on the Texas-appointed board replacing FWISD’s nine locally elected trustees, but none of their names are publicly known. The Fort Worth Report requested the list of applicants seeking to serve on the board of managers through Texas’ open records law. Agency officials declined to release it, requesting an opinion from [...]
FOI scholarship deadline for law students extended to March 6
UPDATE: The Joel White Scholarship application deadline is extended to March 6. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas soon will award scholarships to journalism, photojournalism and law students for the 2026-27 academic year. The Ralph Langer Scholarship is a $6,000 award presented to an undergraduate journalism or photojournalism student attending a Texas college or university. It honors Ralph Langer, who was executive editor and vice president of The Dallas [...]
CJR: The SLAPP problem is worse than we thought
By Liam Scott Columbia Journalism Review Originally published Dec. 4, 2025 Press freedom advocates and media lawyers in the United States have long warned about the rise of frivolous lawsuits intended to intimidate and silence journalists through expensive legal battles. But despite anecdotal evidence, the problem has remained amorphous. No one has been able to say just how bad it is because no one has closely tracked the filings, known [...]
Austin cancels budget session after lawyers allege open meetings violation
By Chaya Tong Austin American-Statesman Originally published Nov. 12, 2025 The city of Austin late Wednesday opted to cancel a highly anticipated City Council budget work session after two attorneys alleged there had been a lack of adequate public notice for the meeting. The 11-member council had been set to convene Thursday to discuss what cuts to make to the budget a week after Austin voters rejected a controversial tax hike proposal known as [...]
Texas Talks podcast features FOI Foundation’s educational outreach, advocacy
The Texas Talks podcast hosted by Brad Swail and the Lone Star Standard recently featured Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas executive director Kelley Shannon to discuss the foundation's open government outreach and advocacy. You can listen to the 30-minute podcast on Spotify, Apple, X/Twitter or YouTube.
Federal judge says Texas law requiring book ratings is unconstitutional
By Bill Zeeble KERA Originally published Oct. 22, 2025 The 2023 Texas law requiring booksellers and publishers to rate their books based on sexual content and references has been declared unconstitutional in a Waco court. A federal judge on Tuesday declared House Bill 900, also known as the READER Act, violates the constitution. The ruling makes permanent a lower court's temporary injunction that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals later [...]
FOIFT Conference 2025 Videos
The FOI Foundation of Texas state conference Sept. 26 featured a lineup of impactful speakers and discussions addressing a range of open government and free speech topics. Thanks to all the conference participants, planners and attendees. Video recordings of each panel session and the luncheon speeches are now available on our website at https://foift.org/about/video/
Austin American-Statesman, KVUE and Odessa American win 2025 Spirit of FOI Awards
For Immediate Release Sept. 26, 2025 AUSTIN – Reporting on a secret decision to spend public money on a Travis County official’s home security system and a series of editorials and news stories about questionable ethics by Odessa city leaders have won this year’s Spirit of FOI Awards. The Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV in a joint reporting effort won the Class AA large market award, and the Odessa American won [...]
FOI Column: Open government impacts our lives in big ways
By Kelley Shannon If you wonder how open government laws affect you, think about these basics: The local taxes we pay. The roads we drive on. Even, sometimes, matters of life and death. Access to information through public meetings and records helps us know about the decisions elected officials are making on our behalf. It allows us to ask questions, to speak out, to demand change. After all, in our [...]
Register for the Sept. 26 FOIFT state conference
The FOI Foundation of Texas annual state conference is almost here. Register now to join us Friday, Sept. 26, in Austin for a powerful lineup of speakers and panel discussions. CLICK HERE to register for the Sept. 26 conference. This year’s conference “We the People: Holding Government Accountable” is Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Austin featuring luncheon keynote speaker Jan Crawford, chief legal correspondent for CBS News and a recognized [...]
Attorney and former county judge Bill Aleshire to receive James Madison Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 3, 2025 AUSTIN – Bill Aleshire, an attorney devoted to protecting the public’s access to government information, will receive the prestigious James Madison Award for his decades-long commitment to upholding Texas’ open meetings and open records laws. Aleshire, who initially made his mark in government transparency as a public official and served as Travis County judge, more recently has worked as a zealous attorney ensuring government [...]
Police records bill that raised transparency concerns dies in special session
UPDATE, Sept. 4: The Texas House adjourned its special session Wednesday night without taking action on the Senate version of the police records bill. The Senate had stripped out public access amendments the House had added. HB 15 is dead for this special session. UPDATE, Sept. 3: After the House approved HB 15 on Thursday with two amendments - one protecting the deceased suspect law passed in 2023 to allow [...]
Appeals court orders release of Uvalde school shooting records
By Ayden Runnels The Texas Tribune Originally published July 16, 2025 A state appeals court judge on Wednesday ordered Uvalde County and its school district to release records and documents related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, affirming a previous trial court order. A coalition of 18 news organizations, including The Texas Tribune, sued the City of Uvalde, Uvalde County and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in 2022 [...]
Jan Crawford of CBS News to speak at Sept. 26 FOI Foundation conference
Jan Crawford, chief legal correspondent for CBS News and a recognized authority on the U.S. Supreme Court, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s FOI Foundation of Texas state conference on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Austin. Crawford's 2007 book “Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for the Control of the United States Supreme Court” gained critical acclaim and became an instant New York Times bestseller. She [...]
Why Gov. Greg Abbott won’t release his emails with Elon Musk
By Lauren McGaughy The Texas Newsroom Originally published July 14, 2025 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t want to reveal months of communications with Elon Musk or representatives from the tech mogul’s companies, arguing in part that they are of a private nature, not of public interest and potentially embarrassing. Musk had an eventful legislative session in Texas this year. In addition to his lobbyists successfully advocating for several new laws, [...]
Aleshire: Judge’s ruling shows officials must comply with Texas Open Meetings Act
By Bill Aleshire Attorney On June 23, Judge Catherine Mauzy signed our summary judgment order (Les Carnes, Jim Camp, Cathy Ramsey, and Gabrielle Moore v. Hays County Judge & Commissioners, Cause No. D-1-GN-25-002049, 126th District Court, Travis County, Texas) granting our clients' election contest and killed the $439 million Hays County Road Bonds due to Open Meetings violations for inadequate meeting notice and unreasonable restriction on time for public testimony [...]
Governor signs a leading Sunshine Coalition transparency measure
Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law House Bill 4219, requiring governments to issue a written response to requestors who seek records under the Texas Public Information Act. The measure, a proposal of the Texas Sunshine Coalition, was put forth by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. It requires a written government reply even if it is to say there are no responsive documents or a previous [...]
FOI Foundation to hold Open Government Seminar on June 19 in Denton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9, 2025 FOI Foundation of Texas to hold Open Government Seminar on June 19 in Denton AUSTIN – The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is holding an Open Government Seminar in Denton on Thursday, June 19, 2025, featuring training in state open meetings and public records laws. The free seminar will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, [...]
Texas lawmakers pass Public Information Act response bill, other transparency measures
For Immediate Release June 2, 2025 Texas Legislature passes Public Information Act response bill, sends it to governor AUSTIN – The Texas Legislature has approved a measure requiring government agencies to respond to public information requestors or face consequences – an important step in making government more accountable. House Bill 4219, put forth by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has been sent to the governor. It [...]
Texas Legislature passes TPIA ‘required response’ bill, sends it to governor
By Kelley Shannon FOI Foundation Executive Director The Texas Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed House Bill 4219 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini and Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, which requires governments to respond to public information requestors or face consequences. HB 4219 - already approved by the House - has now been sent to Gov. Greg Abbott. Unfortunately, some government officials currently do not respond to every Texas Public Information Act request. Some [...]