Articles by FOIA Illinois

Welcome to FOIAIllinois.org’s blog page! We want you to use this space to stay updated on newsworthy Freedom of Information Act happenings, share your gripes and accomplishments in acquiring data using Illinois’ FOIA policies in general and  with specific agencies, brainstorm solutions to problems plaguing individuals or the larger community, […]

A great example of FOIA requests uncovering new information–and keeping important stories in the headlines–popped up Monday with the release of photos depicting the environmental impact of the BP oil spill in April 2010. From the Huffington Post: According to a Greenpeace press release, the environmental group filed a Freedom […]

Big news out of South Carolina for transparency and FOIA access. The state House almost unanimously passed a bill that makes it more difficult for legislators to keep government records from journalists and the public. From the Herald Online: The bill also included an amendment that makes legislators’ memos and […]

And in Richmond, Va., FOIA requests from the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project will lead to the release of 78 post-conviction DNA test results on July 1. From the Times-Dispatch: An amendment to the state budget, passed by the General Assembly last month, directs the release of the […]

Government Executive‘s FedBlog reports what may be one of the cooler FOIA requests submitted recently. Following a fair amount of buzz about an ale brewed exclusively for the White House that President Obama has raved about on the campaign trail, one Reddit user posted an of a FOIA request reportedly […]

Filing a successful FOIA request remains a high-risk endeavor in the District of Columbia. The Blog of LegalTimes reports that a three-judge panel ruled Thursday to set parameters for prevailing parties to recover attorney’s fees after a FOIA dispute goes to court. The ruling was a blow to the city’s […]

The Atlantic ruminates on a recent FOIA request from Chicago’s Vivelohoy that uncovered a racial disparity in jaywalking arrests in Champaign and Urbana, the two towns that contain the University of Illinois. While 16 percent of their population is black, the FOIA request showed that 88 percent of jaywalking arrests in Champaign […]

Are you familiar with the “preliminary drafts” exemption to Illinois Freedom of Information Act requests, which allows policymakers to withhold early versions of documents while they’re in their earliest stages, under the assumption that later, revised and finalized versions will be made available? Illinois Governor Pat Quinn knows the exemption […]

Despite the humorous nature of the FOIA request for the White House beer recipes, the POTUS’ Assistant Chef responded Saturday with a wisecracking blog post on WhiteHouse.gov that included recipes for Honey Ale, Honey Brown Ale and Honey Porter. Check out what may be one of the first video responses […]

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 […]