Enough is Enough: A Call to End DoD FOIA Violations
Join us in a Writ of Mandamus, calling on the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency to do its job and police the wayward Department of Defense’s Freedom of Information Act Offices; entities who violate the law routinely and with impunity.
Your participation in this is critical! Simply fill out the below form and your FOIA request will be added into the Writ. We plan on filing in April, so don’t delay. Any errors or omissions in the below form will invalidate it. Please complete one submission per outstanding FOIA request and please note these are for FOIA requests only within the Department of Defense.
Some FAQs:
What is a Writ of Mandamus? A (writ of) mandamus is an order from a court to an inferior government official ordering the government official to properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion.
Who is the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency (ATSD/PCLT) and what is their role? Read more about them here.
What are the FOIA exemptions? Yes, but there are exceptions.
- Exemption 1: Information that is classified to protect national security.
- Exemption 2: Information related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency.
- Exemption 3: Information that is prohibited from disclosure by another federal law.
- Exemption 4: Trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is confidential or privileged.
- Exemption 5: Privileged communications within or between agencies, including those protected by the:
- Deliberative Process Privilege (provided the records were created less than 25 years before the date on which they were requested)
- Attorney-Work Product Privilege
- Attorney-Client Privilege
- Exemption 6: Information that, if disclosed, would invade another individual’s personal privacy.
- Exemption 7: Information compiled for law enforcement purposes that:
- 7(A). Could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings
- 7(B). Would deprive a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication
- 7(C). Could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy
- 7(D). Could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source
- 7(E). Would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions if such disclosure could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law
- 7(F). Could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical safety of any individual
- Exemption 8: Information that concerns the supervision of financial institutions.
- Exemption 9: Geological information on wells.
Am I going to get money from this? No.
Am I going to finally get my FOIA request from this? That’s the aim!
🎧 And yes – the Star Chamber podcast is still online as well!
💻 Available On: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
Follow us for updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more:
Spotify: The Star Chamber
Apple Podcasts: The Star Chamber
YouTube: The Star Chamber
📩 Subscribe to our newsletter at: The DoD Times (Redacted)
Join us as we uncover the connections between the secretive practices of history and the inner workings of today’s most critical institutions. Let’s shine a light on the systems that shape our nation’s future.
