NFOIC’s FOI Friday for December 16, 2011

A few items selected from many of interest that we might not have drawn attention to earlier:

Obama administration makes some transparency gains; challenges remain

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and OpenTheGovernment.org released a joint report, Measuring Transparency Under the FOIA: The Real Story Behind the Numbers, analyzing the government’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) data for 2010 and how it compares to the previous administration’s data.

Visit CREW for the rest.

Transparency lags as Bradley Manning case opens

After more than 18 months, the veil on the military's case against Private Bradley Manning is set to be pulled back a bit Friday, as a public legal hearing gets underway into the evidence supporting charges that Manning leaked thousands of classified military reports and diplomatic cables to the online document repository WikiLeaks.

Visit Politico for the rest.

Virginia Supreme Court will hear Clifton Elementary FOIA case

Virginia’s highest court will hear a case involving the closure of Clifton Elementary School. Virginia’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to grant an appeal to a Clifton resident who filed a lawsuit in reference to Fairfax County Public School’s alleged Freedom of Information Act violations.

Visit FairfaxStationPatch for the rest.

Columbia (Mo.) police claim open records deter complaints

Some residents are hesitant to file complaints against officers because those reports will be public record, Columbia police told the Citizens Police Review Board last night, suggesting a possible change in policy to limit public access to the information.

Visit Columbia Daily Tribune for the rest.

SC Gov. Haley refuses to answer questions about public documents request

Gov. Nikki Haley today refused during a public appearance to answer a reporter's questions about public documents her administration has failed to provide. [Thursday's] appearance was the time her spokesman said the governor would be available to discuss a possible violation of the state public records law and other recent criticism of her influence over an independent health panel.

Visit The Post and Courier for the rest.

N.J. Attorney General blocks public knowledge of State Police overtime pay

In what some advocates of open government call an unprecedented overreach, Attorney General Paula Dow has blocked the public from knowing how much overtime State Police troopers and other state law enforcement officers earn.

Visit nj.com for the rest.