FOI Foundation annual state conference set for Sept. 8
The FOI Foundation of Texas will hold its 2016 state conference Thursday, Sept. 8, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The annual event brings together journalists, citizen activists, attorneys and government employees to share ideas and examine the latest trends in open government and the First Amendment rights of free speech and press. The conference also features presentation of the James [...]
Questions raised in sex assault case as Bexar sheriff refuses to release basic report
By Brian Chasnoff Metro Columnist San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 18, 2016 Last month, Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau seemed to acknowledge the role the media can play in cases of potential officer misconduct. Previously, her office had refused to release to the media even a basic incident report of a fatal deputy-involved shooting. That day, after a grand jury declined to indict two deputies in the shooting of [...]
Paxton prosecutors sue Paxton’s agency to block records
By Chuck Lindell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 14, 2016 In an unusual and head-spinning twist, prosecutors in the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the attorney general’s office Thursday to block the release of sensitive case information that could hinder Paxton’s defense but that his own agency ordered to be turned over to a Texas newspaper. Go ahead, read that sentence again. The latest twist began [...]
U.S. House backs bill to update FOIA as report faults Obama administration
By Matthew Daly Associated Press via U.S. News and World Report Originally published Jan. 11, 2016 WASHINGTON (AP) — The House approved legislation Monday making it easier to obtain government records, as a new congressional report concluded that the freedom of information process under the Obama administration is broken and in need of serious change. The bill, approved by a voice vote, would require government agencies to make information available [...]
Judge tells two newspapers to preserve emails in capital murder case
By Claire Osborn Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 GEORGETOWN — A Williamson County judge ordered the publishers of two newspapers Thursday to preserve any emails they had received this fall from District Attorney Jana Duty about the controversial Crispin Harmel murder case. There has been an order since April prohibiting lawyers involved in the case from talking to reporters about it. Duty has already served time in jail [...]
Journalist entries sought for 2016 Texas Gavel Awards
Entries sought for 2016 Texas Gavel Awards -Annual Awards Recognize Journalistic Excellence in Legal Reporting- AUSTIN — Submissions are sought for the 2016 Texas Gavel Awards, which honor outstanding journalism that fosters public understanding of the legal system. Entries published or broadcast during the 2015 calendar year will be accepted for print, broadcast, and online categories until 5 p.m. April 1. There is no entry fee. Awards will be presented [...]
Dallas attorney files brief in First Amendment case about hip-hop
By Texas Standard KUT-FM Originally published Jan. 5, 2016 What do three Atlanta-based rappers, a professor from the University of Richmond and a 50-year-old lawyer in Dallas have in common? No, this isn't the beginning of a bad joke – these men have all stepped up to protect the speech rights of Taylor Bell, a young man that was suspended from his high school for recording a song that alleged [...]
Texas didn’t violate First Amendment when it denied film grant, court rules
By John Council Texas Lawyer Originally published Dec. 31, 2015 Texas officials did not forbid the producers of a B-grade action movie from filming inside the Lone Star State but "merely opted not to subsidize the film with Texas taxpayer funds," according to Judge Catharina Haynes. In a ruling certain to disappoint those who want to film B-grade action movies in Texas on the cheap, the U.S. Court of Appeals [...]
Denton City Council repeals ordinance after allegation it violated free speech
By Jenna Duncan Denton Record-Chronicle Originally published Dec. 15, 2015 The Denton City Council voted unanimously to repeal a nearly 10-year-old ordinance stating that council members who spoke about closed session items outside of the session could face criminal charges. While the agenda said the council would consider amending the ordinance to remove any criminal penalties, council member Kevin Roden moved to take the ordinance off the books altogether. He [...]
AG: Full juvenile consultant contract can be withheld
By Jessica Priest Victoria Advocate Originally published Dec. 15, 2015 The Victoria Advocate will not receive a copy of District Attorney Stephen Tyler's full contract with a consulting firm he hired to analyze the juvenile detention center. The Texas Attorney General's Office ruled Monday that the contract is excepted from disclosure. The AG's Office ruled that Tyler established the contract was privileged attorney-client communication under Texas Rule of Evidence 503 [...]
Judge dismisses UT regent Hall’s suit seeking access to admissions records
By Matthew Watkins The Texas Tribune Originally published Dec. 15, 2015 A state district judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit by University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall that sought to force the system to turn over records related to an admissions scandal. Soon after, Hall's lawyer declared that his client is appealing, meaning the case is far from over. In a one-page order, Judge Scott Jenkins of Travis [...]
HCC board hired lawyer without vote
By Benjamin Wermund Houston Chronicle Originally published Dec. 14, 2015 As conflict roiled the upper reaches of Houston Community College early last year, the institution's board chairman, Neeta Sane, told her fellow trustees during a closed-door session that they needed to hire an outside lawyer to negotiate a contract for an incoming chancellor. The attorney, Vidal Martinez, would come to do much more and earn a total of $200,463 in [...]
Judge to rule on Wallace Hall’s suit for documents next week
By Bobby Blanchard The Dallas Morning News Originally published Dec. 10, 2015 AUSTIN — The judge presiding over UT Regent Wallace Hall’s lawsuit said in court on Thursday he would issue a ruling next week on whether University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall has the right to records he requested from the system months ago. Hall wants records underlying an independent report that found several dozen underqualified students were [...]
LCRA fights release of data on new reservoir
By Kiah Collier The Texas Tribune Originally published Dec. 5, 2015 The Lower Colorado River Authority says a $255 million reservoir it is building in southeast Texas won't reduce freshwater flows into Matagorda Bay enough to hurt aquatic life, but the organization is refusing to release the hydrological modeling that led to it that conclusion. The authority — the largest water and power supplier in Central Texas — has told [...]
Protect free speech, open government in Texas by donating today
Today is Giving Tuesday, a special day for giving back to your community by contributing to non-profits that work for the public good. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is one of these organizations. Please consider contributing today to protect First Amendment rights and open government. The FOI Foundation of Texas was formed in 1978 and has worked continuously for the public's right to know. Funding for our 501(c)(3) [...]
Veterinarian loses free speech case involving web consultations
By Edgar Walters The Texas Tribune Originally published Nov. 30, 2015 A Texas veterinarian who offered pet-care advice online lost a battle against state regulators on Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case. Ron Hines, a retired veterinarian from Brownsville, argued that a state regulation requiring him to physically examine an animal before practicing telemedicine — which involves offering a professional consultation over the phone or [...]
AG: Dallas County booking records can be kept secret
By Terri Langford The Texas Tribune Originally published Nov. 16, 2015 A ruling from the Texas Attorney General's office has just made it more difficult to access information about the kinds of crimes undocumented immigrants have committed in Dallas County — and whether local officials turned those offenders over to federal authorities. In a Nov. 13 ruling, the AG's office determined that because the Dallas County Sheriff's Office booking system [...]
When seeking public records, know your rights, responsibilities
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas If you’ve seen news reports on suspicious state contracts or chemical waste pits or officials’ text messages in the Waco biker shootout, you may notice a recurring theme: Government records obtained through the Texas Public Information Act. Fortunately, our state’s public information law, created in the early 1970s, presumes government records are open unless a specific exemption in the [...]
Depositions expose Austin public information flaws
By Ken Martin The Austin Bulldog Originally published Nov. 9, 2015 “The City of Austin is committed to an open and transparent government. I believe this is an integral part of maintaining a vital and robust democracy.” — City Manager Marc Ott Marc OttOtt published this oft-repeated pledge in an April 8, 2015, memo titled “City of Austin Open Data Initiative 2.0.” Yet, the City has failed to consistently live [...]
State Integrity Investigation gives Texas an F in public information access
The latest State Integrity Investigation conducted by the non-profit Center for Public Integrity gives Texas a D- overall and an F in public access to information. Veteran Texas journalist David Montgomery conducted the study for our state. Read the news story and see the rankings on the CPI or Texas Tribune websites.