New FOIA Guide is Out
Our 65-page guide to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is out! Click here to see the guide.
School District Pays Nearly $150K To Parent Banned From School Board Meetings
A federal court in Vermont recently found that a local school board in Vermont violated the right to free speech under the First Amendment and to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment by banning a parent from attending local school board meetings for two years. The parties then reached a settlement of nearly $150,000. Unfortunately,… Read More
The Public Access Counselor
Under FOIA, if your request is denied, you have the right to seek review by the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor or to file a lawsuit to enforce your rights. While the PAC can be a useful way to get your records, there are a few issues to keep in mind. First, there is a growing… Read More
Canadian FOIA Office Shuts Down “Out-of-Scope” Responses
There has been a growing practice in Illinois and elsewhere of the government withholding portions of public records that are not exempt but that the government contends are outside the scope of the request. For example, a request for records involving a study of issue X might turn up a study of X and Y,… Read More
Ventra Program Targeted By Lawsuit Demanding Transparency
“CTA takes troubling position that the public is not entitled to see non-winning bids and advisor records because it would be ‘too burdensome.’” The Chicago Transit Authority’s Ventra program is the subject of a new suit filed today aimed at opening the books on how the contract for the program was awarded and what bids… Read More
Chicago Police Sued to Force Release of Evidence of Possible Cell Phone Spying
The Chicago Police Department was sued Friday to force release of evidence that the department has purchased equipment that allows them to covertly scan people’s cell phones for detecting telephone numbers dialed and texted, tracking their location, and cell phones’ unique device identification numbers. Cell site simulators, also known as IMSI catchers or stingrays, masquerade… Read More