Can Va. keep out-of-staters from using FOI?
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will decide whether Virginia can keep out-of-staters from using its Freedom of Information Act law to get government documents. The high court on Friday agreed to...
View ArticleAgency pulls public access to hospital reports
McLEAN (AP) — The Virginia Department of Health will no longer provide public access to its hospital complaint investigations after an Associated Press story found inconsistencies in the probe of a...
View ArticleLawyers can’t get driver information to solicit clients, says high court
Lawyers who wanted to use drivers’ personal information to solicit new clients for consumer lawsuits could not rely on an exception to a federal privacy law, the U.S. Supreme Court said June 17. The...
View ArticleBill would require FOIA disclosures for SCC
Del. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, wants to shine more light on the workings of the State Corporation Commission by making the state agency subject to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Surovell won a...
View ArticleCourt grants appeal in climate case with FOIA issues
A battle over disclosure of climate research documents could produce new law on the public’s right to access government records in Virginia. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear three...
View ArticleDemocratic senator sues for ‘Giftgate’ documents
A Democratic state senator is asking a Richmond judge to order disclosure of records that could show whether the state attorney general’s office was involved in preparing materials for the...
View ArticleSupreme Court resists request for court data
A newspaper’s dogged pursuit of a collection of Virginia court records raises questions about whether the state public information law applies to court documents and how difficult it is for officials...
View ArticleGovernor backs away from FOIA stance
In a victory for open government advocates, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has backed down from a move to gut an open government bill aimed at overturning a Virginia Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court ruled...
View ArticleFixing FOIA
Americans had a little something extra to celebrate this 4th of July. Right before the holiday weekend, President Obama signed the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. The timing was just about perfect: The...
View ArticleDemocratic senator sues for ‘Giftgate’ documents
A Democratic state senator is asking a Richmond judge to order disclosure of records that could show whether the state attorney general’s office was involved in preparing materials for the...
View ArticleSupreme Court resists request for court data
A newspaper’s dogged pursuit of a collection of Virginia court records raises questions about whether the state public information law applies to court documents and how difficult it is for officials...
View ArticleGovernor backs away from FOIA stance
In a victory for open government advocates, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has backed down from a move to gut an open government bill aimed at overturning a Virginia Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court ruled...
View ArticleFixing FOIA
Americans had a little something extra to celebrate this 4th of July. Right before the holiday weekend, President Obama signed the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. The timing was just about perfect: The...
View ArticleVa. Cir.: County held to lowest document production estimate
When a county initially estimated almost $900 for records-request compliance but later revised the estimate down to $200, it could not then charge an actual cost of more than $1,300 without consulting...
View ArticleSCV: FOIA enforcement affidavit satisfied statute
An affidavit alleging open-meeting violations by a county board of supervisors was sufficient to support a FOIA petition when the affiant swore to her belief in matters presented on information....
View ArticleVa. Cir.: GMU Foundation not a public body subject to VFOIA
The George Mason University Foundation Inc. is an independent corporate entity whose records are not subject to freedom-of-information requirements, even if the records relate to funds used to support...
View ArticleVirginia FOIA does not apply to judiciary
Long distance phone records sought from the judiciary are not public records, as the Virginia Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the judiciary, including its executive secretary. Background...
View ArticleCity’s legal bills subject to FOIA, even in heat of litigation
Although a Virginia city claimed it had special concerns about releasing legal bills to a litigation opponent, the Supreme Court of Virginia found no reason to alter the usual standards for...
View ArticleLitigant not entitled to unredacted legal invoices from city
While a doctor involved in litigation with the City of Virginia Beach was not entitled to entries in the city’s legal invoices that would reveal confidential information, litigation strategy, work...
View ArticleDocuments denied despite delay in response
Although the Council on Environmental Quality did not respond to the Southern Environmental Law Center’s FOIA request within the 20 days required by statute, the delay, by itself, does not entitle the...
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