Section Newsletter Articles on Freedom of Information Act
Sudden burst of FOIA binding opinions from the Public Access Counselor
By John M. O’Driscoll
Local Government Law,
March 2012
It appears that the Public Access Counselor has focused on increasing the number of binding opinions, presumably to offer some guidance to governmental entities and the public. However, it also appears that there is a long way to go before some of the holes in the legislation are filled.
The Freedom of Information Act: A useful resource for attorneys
By George L. Schoenbeck
General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm,
September 2010
Author George Schoenbeck shares his experiences as both a Freedom of Information Officer and as an attorney using the Freedom of Information Act to represent private parties.
Extra work is extra work
By Raymond A. Fylstra
Government Lawyers,
December 2009
On August 17, 2009, Governor Pat Quinn signed one of the most sweeping revisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1) (the “Act”) since it was adopted in 1983.
FOIA requests—DOL
Employee Benefits,
September 2009
If you or your client needs a copy of the Form 5500 filed by a welfare plan or a pension plan it is better to go to the source. At <www.dol.gov/dol/foia> you will find instructions for making a FOIA request.
Transparency and the Open Meetings Act
By Maryann Bullion
Local Government Law,
April 2009
Despite the fact that the Supreme Court recognized the need for transparent government in 1860, this policy was not codified as the Open Meetings Act until 1957, and the Freedom of Information Act was not enacted by the legislature until 1984.
Statutory Changes, 94th and 95th General Assemblies
By William A. Price
Administrative Law,
August 2008
This review notes revisions to the Administrative Procedure Act, Administrative Review Law, Freedom of Information Act, and Open Meetings Act in the 94th and 95th General Assemblies, based on keyword searches using the words of each of the above act’s titles in the Illinois General Assembly public acts database.
Two recent federal FOIA cases
By Paul E. Freehling
Administrative Law,
August 2008
The federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. §552 et seq. (“FOIA”), is the subject of two informative recent decisions of circuit courts of appeal.
Reppert v. SIU: 4th District decision—A commentary
By Phillip B. Lenzini
Local Government Law,
May 2008
Essentially, the decision in the case of Reppert v. Southern Illinois University reversed the trial court’s summary judgment on behalf of SIU in the Freedom of Information Act case seeking release of the employment contracts of several SIU employees.
The Local Records Act and Destruction of Public Records
By Maryann Bullion
Local Government Law,
March 2008
If one of your local government clients deletes an e-mail or throws away a file that contains information that should be considered a public record, they could be charged with a Class 4 felony.
District conflict over interpretation of Illinois FOIA?
By Peter Horst
Administrative Law,
December 2007
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act requires public bodies to disclose public records upon request, unless the information requested falls within a limited number of statutory exemptions.
Pages
Select a Different Subject