The Sun Keeps on Shining!

Sunshine lights the path ahead. (ARC Identifier 554394)

Sunshine Week 2013 was so bright, it just keeps on shining. Last week’s post brought you up to speed on many of OGIS’s Sunshine Week 2013 activities, but one event was absent – the Sixth Annual Freedom of Information Day Celebration, hosted by American University Washington College of Law’s Collaboration on Government Secrecy. This event took place on Monday, March 18 – though not technically during Sunshine Week (which happened to coincide with AU’s spring break this year), it was no less luminous.

While it is always good to spend this day with our friends in the open government community, we found the program this year to be particularly informative. Expert panels discussed topics ranging from the impact of the Milner v. Department of the Navy decision to current FOIA legislation to the latest in litigation. We are also glad to see Leonard Schaitman of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division receive the 2013 Robert Vaughn FOIA Legend Award. Leonard has served as the federal government’s principal appellate litigation supervisor for FOIA cases since 1973, and this award acknowledges his profound impact on FOIA.

Thanks to the Collaboration on Government Secrecy for such a great event. We look forward to next year!