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Sunday, Sep. 13, 2020

Are calendars of federal government officials matters of public record?

Jacqueline Agustin, Gigafact
yes

The appointment calendars of many executive-branch officials are routinely made public, reflecting the breadth of the Freedom of Information Act's definition of official agency records. Many agencies post officials' calendars online. When they don't, under the act, members of the public may request them. Nine categories of information are exempt from disclosure requirements, including information related to matters of national security, law enforcement, financial institutions or personal privacy.

Legal challenges to claimed exemptions have been frequent since the law's enactment. For instance, a 2006 suit by a consumer group against the Agriculture Department over rules about listeria contamination revolved around access to officials' calendars to establish if they met with industry officials lobbying against the rules. (The court granted access to five of the six requested calendars.)

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