Transparency committee proceeds cautiously as emotions rise
By Reeve Hamilton The Texas Tribune Originally published April 17, 2014 On Wednesday morning, state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, found two fliers slipped under the door of his Capitol office calling for the resignation of embattled University Texas System Regent Wallace Hall. In large red letters, the fliers, which were also distributed to other lawmakers and posted around the University of Texas at Austin campus, declared, “We can’t let one man [...]
The Guardian US, Washington Post win Pulitzer for reporting on Snowden, NSA
By Dylan Byers Politico Originally published April 14, 2014 Edward Snowden didn’t win a Pulitzer on Monday, but he might as well have. In a move certain to be interpreted as a vindication of the former government contractor’s efforts, the Pulitzer Prize Board on Monday awarded The Guardian US and The Washington Post its coveted Public Service award for reporting on the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance practices. The award [...]
Houston Open Government Seminar, FOI info galore, April 30
By Mary Flood Houston Chronicle Originally published April 8, 2014 The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Attorney General’s Office will hold an Open Government Seminar in Houston Wednesday April 30 at South Texas College of Law. The morning training in the state’s public meetings and public records laws is free, starts at 9 am and is aimed at “government employees, journalists and members of the general [...]
Report: UT regent might have broken the law
By Nolan Hicks San Antonio Express-News Originally published April 7, 2014 SAN ANTONIO — University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall likely committed impeachable offenses — including abusing his office and possibly breaking state and federal law — in his campaign to oust University of Texas at Austin president Bill Powers, according to a draft report prepared for the Texas House committee investigating Hall. The 176-page draft, made available to [...]
Records show Texas transportation agency’s land deals under federal grand jury investigation
By Kevin Krause and Brandon Formby The Dallas Morning News Originally published April 7, 2014 The Texas Department of Transportation’s land purchases for the expansion of Interstate 35E in North Texas are part of a federal grand jury’s probe into potential criminal activity, according to state records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. The agency confirmed the federal investigation in a letter sent last month to the state attorney general’s office. [...]
Appeals court: One Texas execution back on schedule after drug secrecy debate
By Michael Graczyk The Associated Press Originally published April 2, 2014, in the Austin American-Statesman HOUSTON — A federal appeals court on Wednesday threw out a ruling requiring the Texas prison system to disclose more information about where it gets lethal-injection drugs, reversing a judge who had halted an upcoming execution. Only hours before the appellate decision, a lower-court judge issued a temporary injunction halting the execution of Tommy Lynn [...]
Why Texas wants to keep secret its supplier of execution drugs
By Michael Graczyk Associated Press Originally published April 2, 2014 in The Christian Science Monitor HOUSTON - Texas is set to execute its first inmate with a new batch of drugs, but the state prison agency remains determined to keep its supplier a secret, citing threats of violence to pharmacies that sell drugs used in lethal injections. Since obtaining a new supply of the drug pentobarbital two weeks ago, the Texas Department [...]
DMN: Force elected officials to publicly vote on open records issues
By Scott K. Parks The Dallas Morning News Originally published March 31, 2014 Among friends, keeping secrets is a good thing. Not so much when it comes to governments keeping secrets from citizens. Local governments in North Texas have a penchant for secrecy. They routinely deny citizen requests for public records under a system that only a crook or a government-paid lawyer could love. First, a little background. The Texas [...]
FOI Foundation honors Robert and Maureen Decherd
G.J. McCarthy/Staff Photographer Maureen and Robert Decherd accepted the John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue on Friday from Paul Watler of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. By Christina Rosales The Dallas Morning News Originally published March 28, 2014 Robert and Maureen Decherd received the John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue Friday from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. The former chairman, president and chief executive [...]
Cornyn: Schumer doesn’t have votes for federal shield law
By Hadas Gold Politico Originally published March 27, 2014 Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) no longer has the votes to pass a proposed media shield law, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in an interview this week. Speaking with Breitbart, Cornyn called the proposed shield law a "bad idea" that won't pass. “If he had the votes to pass it, it already would have been passed,” Cornyn said. “This isn’t about [...]
Lawsuit seeks to reveal source of Texas execution drug
The Dallas Morning News From Wire Reports Originally published March 26, 2014 HOUSTON — Attorneys for two Texas inmates facing execution next month with a new batch of pentobarbital obtained by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday demanding the prison agency disclose the identity of the new supplier. The petition filed in state court in Austin also sought an emergency order requiring state authorities to identify when the [...]
After six years, UT law professor to gain access to previously withheld border information
By Christine Breitbeil The Daily Texan Originally published March 25, 2014 Six years after her initial request for public records regarding federally built fences along the Texas-Mexico border, UT law professor Denise Gilman has passed a significant barrier in receiving the documents. On March 14, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the government must disclose names and addresses of those affected by the border wall due to possible [...]
Big Bend Sentinel reporter subpoenaed; defense attorney cites shield law, First Amendment rights
By Alberto Tomas Halpern Big Bend Sentinel Originally published March 20, 2014 PRESIDIO and JEFF DAVIS COUNTIES – Investigators have served a Big Bend Sentinel reporter with a subpoena in the Prada Marfa vandalism case. But Texas’ journalist shield law requires certain tests and measures be met before a journalist can be compelled to disclose information. The alleged vandal, a guerilla artist known only as 9271977, was arrested on Tuesday [...]
FOI Foundation to host Open Government Seminar in Houston
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will soon host an Open Government Seminar in Houston featuring training in the state’s public meetings and public records laws. The non-profit FOI Foundation, partnering with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office, will offer the one-day seminar on April 30. It is designed for government employees, journalists and members of the general public who want to learn more about the Texas Public Information [...]
Juvenile judge refuses to release murder case transcripts
By Mitch Mitchell Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published March 20, 2014 FORT WORTH — After twice barring the media from court hearings in a murder case involving a juvenile, state district Judge Jean Boyd on Thursday denied a request to make records from that case public. Tarrant County prosecutor Riley Shaw requested that she issue written findings of fact that she used to support the ruling. Boyd did not comment [...]
Sunshine Week: The Eagle reports on Texas universities and open records
By Allen Reed The Bryan-College Station Eagle Originally published March 18, 2014 It's Sunshine Week, so let's look at how many information requests were sent to the top universities in Texas last year and how many of those are referred to the Texas attorney general. In February, The Eagle asked the six university systems and their flagship institutions for “the number of information requests received during the 2013 calendar year [...]
Judge rules in favor of Dallas Morning News, says agency must answer open records request
Attorneys for The Dallas Morning News have obtained a declaration that a North Texas agency is subject to the Texas Public Information Act and must answer an open records request by the newspaper. Judge Eric Moyé of the 14th District Court in Dallas entered a final judgment on a counterclaim by The News, according to the newspaper's attorneys at the law firm Jackson Walker. The newspaper requested information about the [...]
Dallas Morning News: Transparency is hope for citizens, foil for officeholders
The Dallas Morning News Editorial Originally published March 18, 2014 There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy.” Joseph Pulitzer This is Sunshine Week, a time to celebrate and advocate for truth and transparency. And although our iWorld of websites, smartphones and laptops might be unrecognizable to [...]
Sunshine Week: Public should demand online access to public information
By Emily Shaw Sunlight Foundation Originally published March 12, 2014, on sunshineweek.org This week is Sunshine Week, a nationwide discussion about the importance of access to public information and what it means for you and your community. During this week we pay special attention to our collective obligation to bring some “sunshine” to the often shadowy processes of government decision-making. Different governments have different ways of inhibiting effective oversight of [...]
Sunshine Week: FOIFT’s Light of Day Project provides data reporting training
College students in the Light of Day reporting project funded by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas are getting data reporting training this spring through Investigative Reporters and Editors. The first session with IRE trainer Jaimi Dowdell took place Feb. 6 at Texas State University. The second session is this week with Tarleton State students. (Shown in photo, Texas State students of instructor Kym Fox after their training, each [...]