Brutal #FOIA opinion from the D.C. Cir. this morning.
DOJ says it can't redact video and therefore must keep all of it secret. Court: Teenagers edit videos all the time, and "presumably, most of these teenagers have fewer resources than the United States government."
DOJ says it can't redact video and therefore must keep all of it secret. Court: Teenagers edit videos all the time, and "presumably, most of these teenagers have fewer resources than the United States government."
Court also rejects DOJ's claim that releasing a video of federal inmates eating in the prison cafeteria would violate their privacy. The panel notes that they are required by law to be eating there, so .......
D.C. Cir.: If the government really can't edit video to conceal faces, it had better explain why. Teenagers, the court says, have found a way to stick cat heads in front of faces, though "we do not necessarily advocate that specific technique."
Here's the opinion. It's basically a brutal rejection of boilerplate government denials, and a reminder that if the government wants to keep things secret, it needs pretty specific reasons. politico.com/f/?id=00000170…
I'm going to quote this part a lot: "FOIA favors disclosure, not concealment."
