Secret Law
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Press Statement
Newly Released Office of Legal Counsel Memos Show Evolution of Executive Privilege, 1972-1984
Opinions among hundreds published for the first time in response to Knight Institute litigation
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Press Statement
Newly Released Office of Legal Counsel Memos Shed Light on Government’s View of War Powers, 1945-1993
Opinions among hundreds published for the first time in response to Knight Institute litigation
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Press Statement
Newly Released Office of Legal Counsel Opinions from 1952-1971 Illuminate Government Policy During Civil Rights Era
Opinions among hundreds published for the first time in response to Knight Institute litigation
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Press Statement
Newly Released Office of Legal Counsel Opinions Shed Light on Nixon Administration’s Effort to Suppress Pentagon Papers and Prosecute Newspapers
Opinions among hundreds published for the first time in response to Knight Institute litigation
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Institute Update
Institute Releases New Tool to Track OLC Opinions
@OLCforthepeople will tweet every time the Office of Legal Counsel publishes an opinion in its reading room
By Alex Abdo -
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Quick Take
Institute Presses Once More for OLC Transparency
Calls for the Biden administration to routinely make public the final legal opinions of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel
By A. Adam Glenn -
Institute Update
Knight Institute Publishes New Series of OLC Indexes
The release includes 12 new lists of unclassified opinions written between 1959 and 1972
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Deep Dive
Long-Withheld Office of Legal Counsel Records Reveal Agency’s Postwar Influence
Indexes of opinions from 1945 to 1958 highlight key role of office in issuing controlling interpretations of law inside executive branch
By Xiangnong (George) Wang -
Press Statement
Former Solicitor General, First Amendment Groups Challenge Secrecy of U.S. Surveillance Court
In Supreme Court petition, ACLU, Knight Institute, and Yale Clinic say public has a First Amendment right of access to opinions of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
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Deep Dive
The Public Should Have Access to the Surveillance Court’s Opinions
It's time for the Supreme Court to enforce the public's right to know how the FISC has shaped the nation’s laws and our liberties
By Alex Abdo & Charlie Hogle -
Institute Update
Knight Institute, ACLU, and More than 40 Organizations Call on Biden Administration to Embrace a More Open Government
Letter proposes steps the administration could take immediately
By Anna Diakun -
Quick Take
Institute Attorney Urges the Biden Administration to Release Secret OLC Opinions
Stephanie Krent talks to Legal Edition about importance of government transparency to our democracy
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Press Statement
Office of Legal Counsel May Be Required to Release Many of Its Legal Opinions, Court Says
Ruling is a major victory for transparency and accountability
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Publishes 96 Nixon-Era Office of Legal Counsel Opinions
Opinions obtained in connection with Institute’s ongoing FOIA litigation
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Analysis
Selective Disclosure of OLC Legal Opinions Isn’t Enough
Consequential documents remain in the dark
By Alex Abdo -
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Analysis
Shedding Light on Secret Laws Governing Presidential Power
Historian explains why OLC opinions are legal building blocks for the past, present, and future
By Mary Dudziak -
Press Statement
Knight Institute Challenges Justice Department’s Claimed Authority to Categorically Withhold Key Legal Opinions
Scholars request access to OLC legal opinions on executive power
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Press Statement
Groups Urge Appeals Court for Proactive Disclosure of “Secret Law” Governing Executive Branch
Amicus brief urges federal appeals court to rule that the Office of Legal Counsel's formal opinions belong in the public realm
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Presses for Disclosure of Justice Department's "Secret Law"
Lawsuit seeks proactive release of Office of Legal Counsel's formal legal opinions
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Analysis
The Office of Legal Counsel and Secret Law
The public is entitled to know what the law is, not just what the Office of Legal Counsel wants it to know
By Jameel Jaffer -
Press Statement
Court to Hear Arguments in Lawsuit to Disclose Justice Department's "Secret Law"
Representing Campaign for Accountability, Knight Institute seeks Office of Legal Counsel's formal legal opinions