Cause of Action in the News:
Columbia Journalism Review – A pair of court decisions bring good news for FOIA users
Cause of Action is still working hard for a more transparent government. Two court decisions were made that help specify who qualifies for Freedom of Information Act fee waivers. Our hope is that with this new accessibility, we will see more people looking into the actions of the federal government and holding them accountable.
Law 360 – FCA Suit Against Chicago Transit Not Barred, 7th Circ.
On Thursday, Cause of Action told the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) should be taken to task for overbilling the federal government up to $55 million as the government’s potential knowledge of the false practice did not bar the False Claims Act suit. During oral arguments Thursday, Cause of Action in-house attorney David Fischer urged the appeals court to overturn a district court ruling that the public disclosure bar prevented Cause of Action from bringing an FCA suit against the CTA. This lawsuit arises from our investigation into the CTA’s long-standing practice of misreporting data used by the Federal Transit Administration to allocate federal grant funds.
Cause of Action, together with the Southeastern Legal Foundation and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, filed a brief in support of Mr. Yates arguing that upholding the conviction would mean a potential twenty year federal prison sentence for anyone who conceals evidence of a surfboard being used on a beach designated for swimming, throws away a bag of chips from a workplace restroom prior to an OSHA inspection, or discards an empty container of medicine purchased from a foreign pharmacy.
In Other News:
USA Today – Hillary Clinton: ‘I’m sorry’ for personal email at State Department
“That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.” Hillary Clinton has finally apologized for using a personal email server and continues to say that she is trying to be as transparent as possible. However, she also continues to say that she hasn’t done anything wrong. The presidential hopeful believes that she will eventually rise above this email scandal thanks to all of her prior experience with DC politics.
Free Beacon – America Rising Demands State Dept Transparency Czar Resign for Donating to Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State John Kerry has chosen a “transparency czar” to help with all of the FOIA requests the State Department has been receiving. However after just 2 days there have been demands for her resignation. The reason? Janice Jacobs, former diplomat who was given the position, donated the maximum $2,700 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in June.
Fox News – State Department only turns over fraction of requested documents about Clinton aide
The State Department continues to delay turning over Hillary Clinton’s emails even after the emails have been identified by a federal judge as relevant to an Associated Press FOIA request. The emails are about the hiring of Huma Abedin, a longtime aid to Hillary Clinton. This action continues a long history of delay in regards to FOIA requests submitted to the State Department.
