Thursday, April 30, 2009
To help hold President Barack Obama to his pledge of creating a “new era of openness” in government, the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law has released a report card that grades how transparent the administration was in its first 100 days.
The administration received high marks (“A” or “A-“) for “Day One” emphasis on transparency, Freedom of Information Act guidelines, media’s right to report, and for releasing the so-called “torture” memos authored by President George W. Bush’s Justice Department.
But the Brennan Center gave out an “F” for the administration’s attempt to use the “state secrets” argument in three key court cases.
A “D” was awarded for supporting immunity protection of telecommunication companies that played ball with the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Analysis: Transparency in the First 100 Days: A Report Card (Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law)
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