Politico’s Josh Gerstein outlines a recent federal court decision. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled that although conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch failed to file an administrative appeal in their lawsuit for documents about federal loans to the failed Solyndra solar panel firm, the fault lies with the Department of Energy for not making the implication of that failure clear.
Contreras said that while Judicial Watch did not file an administrative appeal before going to court, as is generally required, it also appeared that the Energy Department failed to advise the group of its right to file such an appeal. He said the “scant briefing” on the implications of that failure led to his rejection, for now, of Energy’s bid to get out of the case.
Read the ruling here.