Apparently taking advantage of media focus on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it is exercising its newly acquired power to waive apparently all law in order to expedite construction of border fencing near San Diego.

Documents recently released from the Ronald Reagan library reveal that, while acting as White House associate counsel during the Reagan administration, John Roberts supported government secrecy and strenuously avoided any implication that the White House had an obligation to provide information to anyone, including Congress. On occasion, Roberts made small efforts to assist those seeking information. These, however, tended to be minor issues; and, even in these efforts, Roberts typically included disclaimers to prevent any assumption that the administration was required to respond.

After winning a four-year legal battle for access to county documents concerning the Seahawks Stadium, a Seattle resident has returned to court seeking greater financial compensation for his efforts. King County Superior Court Judge Michael Hayden heard arguments on August 19, during which Armen Yousoufian sought an award of more than $1 million in compensation for his legal fees and as a deterrent to prevent other agencies from stonewalling citizen requests of public information.

A New Jersey resident, requesting access to a township's electronic map of land parcels, has brought to light the first public example of a law that hides information that meets standards for "critical infrastructure information" (CII). The local municipal utility denied the resident’s request for land parcel information, because the data had been protected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the CII program.