Freedom of Information Act (United States)

A Freedom of Information Act request to the South Carolina Attorney General's Office for records on former solicitor Jay Hodge returned mostly redacted pages, while a parallel request to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) produced over 400 pages showing the AG's office, not SLED, conducted a 2012 investigation into sexual molestation allegations against Hodge tied to Boy Scouts lawsuits. Records show a 2013 memo and declination letter ending that probe, plus a separate 2018 SLED investigation that closed in 2019 for lack of evidence. Eight lawsuits accusing Hodge of molestation decades ago were formally dismissed in October 2026. Hodge denies all allegations; AG Alan Wilson declined an interview.

The city of Kalamazoo, Michigan has resumed private "small group" meetings between the city manager and city commissioners, a practice the Commission had unanimously ended in 2021 over transparency concerns, replacing it with public Committee of the Whole sessions. The meetings restarted in November 2025 under interim City Manager Patsy Moore and continued under current City Manager Malcolm Hankins, reportedly kept below the four-member quorum required by Michigan's Open Meetings Act. Topics have included budget, utility rates, zoning and call-in public comment rules. Legal observers note the practice, while not clearly illegal, raises "round-the-horn" deliberation concerns. Commissioners are divided, with some defending the sessions as informational and others questioning their transparency and public trust implications.

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) says Beaufort County violated the state's Freedom of Information Act by allowing developer Elvio Tropeano and attorney Ellis Lesemann — both parties to lawsuits against the county — into a Sept. 14 executive session. County spokesperson Hannah Nichols confirmed their presence but said council can invite whomever it chooses and that the pair left before legal advice was given. SCELP's Leslie Lenhardt argues attorney-client privilege doesn't extend to adverse parties and that the session amounted to secret settlement talks, a view echoed by a South Carolina Press Association attorney.

The dispute centers on Pine Island, a 502-acre property where developers have sought a zoning variance to build a golf resort, blocked by the St. Helena Island Cultural Protection Overlay. Two federal lawsuits followed the county's denial; one was dismissed and is on appeal, the other stayed pending that ruling. The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, an intervener defending the county, says it was wrongly excluded and wants a role in any settlement talks. The issue returns to council's Sept. 28 agenda.

The ACLU of South Carolina has filed a lawsuit against the state Election Commission alleging its September 2025 firing of executive director Howard Knapp violated the state's Freedom of Information Act. The suit claims commissioners entered closed session without a sufficiently specific stated purpose, denied Knapp his right to request a public hearing, illegally polled members privately, and that former chair Dennis Shedd held one-on-one talks with colleagues to build support for removing Knapp, circumventing FOIA's intent. The ACLU is not challenging the firing itself but seeks a court order compelling disclosure of records from the closed portion of the meeting and a declaration that the law was broken. A hearing is scheduled for September 28 in Richland County, though it may be postponed.

Knapp's dismissal came amid a separate dispute over the Justice Department's push for South Carolina voter data. Shedd later accused Knapp of fostering a hostile workplace and falsifying voting-machine purchase records, claims Knapp's attorney disputes. Knapp and his former deputy, Margaret Paige Salonich, were later arrested on unrelated charges; both cases remain pending, as does Salonich's separate lawsuit against the commission.

Backlash against Flock Safety license-plate cameras continues to grow nationwide. In Texas, Hood County Constable John Shirley shut down and covered the county's Flock cameras, citing "warrantless tracking" of residents; county commissioners had already let his contract with Flock lapse. Elsewhere in Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina, officials face similar pressure: Dayton schools are drafting a use policy, Kalamazoo now requires public votes on contract renewals, and Horry County, South Carolina, plans an October policy review after a Greenville County officer misused camera data to track a former partner.

In Ohio, state senator Al Cutrona is introducing a bill making personal misuse of Flock data a fourth-degree felony, requiring deletion after 10 days and barring third-party sharing — following reports that Cleveland's cameras logged nearly 2,000 immigration-related searches. The moves follow a Washington Post investigation finding dozens of officers nationally misused license-plate readers to stalk women. Flock CEO Garrett Langley has acknowledged the potential for misuse and announced new measures, including cutting default data retention from 30 to seven days and requiring a case code before each search. The ACLU called the changes "a step in the right direction" but said they fall short of legally binding protections like those Cutrona's bill would impose.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling on owners of downtown lots and garages to reject any effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to lease space for "surge parking." The request stems from a Department of Homeland Security notice seeking 249 contiguous parking spaces in Boston's central business district, part of a nationwide push covering 14 cities. Boston's request is the second largest in the country.

In a letter, Wu warned that ICE securing such a facility would be an "unprovoked and unwarranted escalation" risking public safety and economic activity, citing recent deadly ICE shootings in Maine, Texas, and Minnesota. Boston also filed a public records request seeking submissions to ICE's notice. DHS dismissed Wu's move as "unhinged," saying she has no authority over private property decisions. Officials describe the effort as market research only, with no lease finalized. If it proceeds, the process could take months, with ICE vehicles potentially occupying spaces as early as next year.