liberty central's civil liberties hero of the week: Eric Holder
Prior to being ceremonially installed in office late last week, Eric Holder, the US attorney general, took an important step towards making the Obama administration more transparent than its predecessor.
Holder issued new freedom of information guidelines (pdf) designed to reflect America's "fundamental commitment to open government". The attorney general said the principles would underscore that commitment and ensure it is realised in practice.
These rules expand on a memo issued by Obama in January, which said the US Freedom of Information Act "should be administered with a clear presumption: in the face of doubt, openness prevails". The memo also re-emphasised the act's role as a tool to ensure government remains transparent and accountable.
Holder's guidelines mean federal agencies must now assume information should be released unless the agency "reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm" national security, law enforcement interests, privileged records, personal privacy or if the information is classified.
The reforms mark an important step forward for open government. Here's hoping for more.
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