Court rules against White House science office in email case
Law Firm Marketing
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that work-related emails from a private account used by the White House's top science adviser are subject to disclosure under federal open records laws.
The ruling from the three-judge panel is a win for government watchdog groups and media organizations concerned that public officials may be skirting public disclosure requirements by relying on private email.
The court sided with a conservative think tank that had filed a lawsuit seeking emails from John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The decision overturns a lower court judge that said Holdren's office did not have to comply with the Freedom of Information Act request from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Related listings
-
Appeals court rules Mississippi can resume Google inquiry
Law Firm Marketing 04/12/2016Mississippi's attorney general can resume an investigation into whether Google facilitates illegal behavior, an appeals court ruled. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned a district judge who had sided with Google. U.S. District ...
-
Ex-Attorney General McGraw files for Supreme Court race
Law Firm Marketing 02/01/2016Former state Attorney General Darrell McGraw wants one of his old jobs back. According to the West Virginia secretary of state's website, the 79-year-old McGraw filed on Saturday to run for the state Supreme Court. McGraw spent one term on the court ...
-
Ex-Illinois guardsman pleads guilty in Islamic State plot
Law Firm Marketing 12/20/2015A former Illinois National Guard soldier pleaded guilty Monday to charges alleging he conspired to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Hasan Edmonds, 23, of Aurora, Illinois, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide mater...
Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.