First Amendment News

Local governments and school districts, with voter approval, sell bonds to finance new buildings and other capital projects. If interest rates decline after the bonds are sold, governments often sell new “refunding” bonds to retire the original bonds–like refinancing a home mortgage. But suppose governments, when refunding, take “cash out” of the transaction by issuing more new debt than is needed to pay off the old debt? Does that practice, which is widespread in California,

The Bush administration was pathological about secrecy, says Clint Hendler of the Columbia Journalism Review. On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, the journalism journal presents an indictment of the Bush administration and prescription for change. –DB Columbia Journalism Review January/February 2009 By Clint Hendler Advocates for open and transparent government are quick to note that no American presidential administration has, in practice, been enthusiastic about reducing secrecy in the executive branch—for some obvious and

A student leader at Michigan State University is facing disciplinary action for using the faculty e-mail network to protest a change in the academic calendar. Students says the emails are protected speech. School says they’re spam. -DB Cnet News December 5, 2008 By Declan McCullagh Most schools encourage students to become active in campus politics. Not Michigan State University, which has filed disciplinary charges against a student leader who sent e-mail criticizing an abbreviated fall

The Information Security Oversight Office reviewed 1,000 classified documents last year, finding that 25 percent of the classification decisions were “questionable.” Moreover, it said in its report to the president, 67 percent of the classification guides used by agencies had not been updated in at least five years. – DR Secrecy News 1/14/2008 “At a time where we would expect to find increasing stability in the [national security classification] program, we are instead finding failure

North San Diego County officials, while claiming that an internal investigation rejects a whistleblower’s claims of ethics abuses, refuse to release the report of the investigation. An article in the North County Times says the county asserts the report is covered by the attorney-client privilege.-PS North County Times January 13, 2009 By EDWARD SIFUENTES The county reprimanded several employees and revised its ethics policies on accepting gifts after investigating a complaint from a whistleblower filed