FOI.com – Freedom of Information

Information wants to be free … but the government has other ideas.

The Freedom of Information Act is a US law that requires government agencies to provide certain information to citizens that request it.  Many States also have similar laws.  The problem is that vague exceptions result in endless disputes and lawsuits.  Often, these requests are completely ignored or some type of ridiculous or nonsensical response is provided.

Department of Justice FOIA page

George Washington Univerisity National Security Archive FOIA page

 FOIA Request Letter Generator – Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press | FOIA Request Generator from the Student Press Law Center

New Jersey has separate (uncoordinated) laws for records and meetings.  Violation rate is extremely high and numerous government agencies were caught overcharging.  There are large numbers of lawsuits across the State and the laws are often disregarded.  There are currently large numbers of complaints that e-mail is used to circumvent public meetings act: 

NJ Open Public Records Act
NJ Open Public Meetings Act
NJ Government Records Council
NJ Foundation for Open Government
Open Government Advocacy Project
ACLU Open Government