Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Dep't of State

Royce C. Lamberth, United States District Judge

On his first full day in office, President Obama set a worthy standard for his administration's compliance with the Freedom of Information Act:

A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants." In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open government. At the heart of that commitment is…