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Lawsuit Seeks to Force Attorney General to Disclose Police Misconduct Files

FAC filed suit today against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for failing to comply with the state’s new, landmark police transparency law. [Read More]

FAC Forces Disclosure of CA Gov. Brown’s Request to Pardon Former State Sen. Wright

FAC Forces Disclosure of Request to Pardon Former State Sen. Wright

Hundreds of secret documents became public following FAC’s motion to unseal records regarding Wright’s pardon. [Read More]

FAC Sues DOJ Over Reporter's Seized Records

DOJ Secretly Recorded Journalist's Email & Phone for Two Years

The DOJ’s investigation is the first known instance of collecting journalist data as part of an investigation into government “leaks.” [Read More]

On Access

Opinion from Executive Director David Snyder

California AG Xavier Becerra and the Thick Blue Wall of Police Secrecy

By David Snyder California Attorney General Xavier Becerra appears to believe there are two sets of rules about government transparency—one for his office, and another for everyone else. Back in 2017, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refused to disclose public records about EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s potential ethical… ∞

Everyone Hates Julian Assange—Except For That Time They Used to Love Him

The bipolar, bipartisan love/hate for the Wikileaks founder threatens the First Amendment and has clouded the true nature of the fundamental rights at stake. BY DAVID SNYDER—It’s not hard to find people in Washington with strong opinions about Wikileaks and its founder, Julian Assange. But good luck finding someone with… ∞

The Press Goes Full Donner Party

BY DAVID SNYDER—As 2018 slouches onward, an already embattled news media has found itself ever more isolated and mistrusted. Just one depressing frame from the lowlight reel: according to a recent poll by Axios, nearly all Republicans (93%), and a majority of Democrats (53%), believe traditional news outlets knowingly report… ∞

1st Amendment News

Headlines from Across the Country

Reporters Committee releases two-part analysis of indictment of Julian Assange

In an extensive analysis, Gabe Rottman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, addresses the U.S. government's indictment of WikiLeaks Julian Assange for conspiring to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a law criminalizing hacking. In Part I, Rottman writes that the government is hinging the case… ∞

Devin Nunes files lawsuit to intimidate local press

California Republican Representative Devin Nunes is suing the McClatchy newspaper chain for an article in the Fresno Bee, he claims as 'character assassination" for its description of a lawsuit by a server on a 2015 San Francisco Bay fund-raising cruise paid for a winery partly owned by Nunes. The server… ∞

Defense Department cited for withholding budget information from the press

A retired admiral complains that the Department of Defense has not held a press briefing in over 300 days, leaving the public in the dark about how they are spending some $700 billion in taxpayer money. Retired Admiral James Stavridis, April 16, 2019, Time Magazine, argues that the Pentagon needs… ∞

Coalition News

FAC News & Initiatives

FAC Forces Disclosure of More Documents From CA Supreme Court ‘Secret Docket’

Even more secret records related to former California Gov. Jerry Brown’s request to pardon former state Sen. Rod Wright became public yesterday—the result of an ongoing effort by the First Amendment Coalition (FAC) to shine light on the decades-old California Supreme Court practice of automatically sealing documents related to executive… ∞

FAC Joins Letter to Sacramento Police Over Treatment of Journalists at Protest

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) today joined the Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom organizations in sending a letter to the Sacramento police department to request a meeting over the treatment of journalist at a recent protest. You can read the full letter below: Chief Daniel Hahn Sacramento Police… ∞

FAC Sues CA Attorney General to Force Disclosure of Police Misconduct Files

The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) filed suit today against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for failing to comply with the state’s new, landmark police transparency law. The suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, seeks the release of records regarding serious police misconduct—records that all state and local agencies are now required… ∞

Asked & Answered

Questions Answered by FAC Lawyers

A&A: As A Public Employee Denied Right to Attend Public Meeting, What Are My Rights?

Q: My employer—a Business Improvement District—had a regularly scheduled board meeting that per our contract with the City must be open to the public. Thirty minutes before the meeting the executive director sent me home, due to my failure to respond to a text message while on my lunch hour. In the past, myself and other …

Read moreA&A: As A Public Employee Denied Right to Attend Public Meeting, What Are My Rights?

A&A: Seeking Information On Probation Compliance Of Parolee Who Committed Murder

Q: I am working on a story about a man who was released from the local jail on probation and a month later is the suspect in a murder-suicide. I have obtained a copy of his pre-sentencing probation report, which labels him as a high risk to reoffend and notes that post-release monitoring would be important. …

Read moreA&A: Seeking Information On Probation Compliance Of Parolee Who Committed Murder

A&A: School Board Voted In Secret to Pick New Superintendent

Q: Our group plus hundreds of teachers, parents, and community activists protested against the secret meeting that the city school board to pick the new yet controversial superintendent. We believe that the closed and secret meeting violated several provisions of the Brown Act and we would like help in understanding how the Brown Act applies …

Read moreA&A: School Board Voted In Secret to Pick New Superintendent

Legal Hotline

The Legal Hotline gives users quick, free access to FAC’s lawyers for questions about access to public records; your right to attend government meetings; access to court documents and proceedings; and first amendment protections for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Asked & Answered

A searchable database of questions posed by users like you about their rights under public records laws, open government laws, and first amendment safeguards that have been answered by FAC’s attorneys.

Access to Records

FAC’s incomparable resources for using California and federal to obtain public records, including FAC’s CPRA Primer; the text of the CPRA, and a template for a CPRA request letter for use in requesting public records

Access to Meetings

Links to all of FAC’S resources for California’s open-meetings law, the Brown Act, including our Brown Act Primer on how the law works; the text of the The Ralph M. Brown Act, and a sample “Cure & Correct” demand letter to report a violation of the law.