The “Search Angels” used public records to bring a little peace of mind to many people searching for friends and loved ones in the aftermath of California’s devastating Camp Fire. The volunteers, which organized themselves through the Facebook Search Squad group, used their research skills to comb through social media posts, property, marriage and other public records to help friends and family find the displaced.
Read MoreConfessions of Judgment: The Legal Tactic That Allows Creditors to Confiscate Assets with No Trial
The importance of comprehensive, nationwide court searches when conducting due diligence research was underscored in a fascinating four-part series by Bloomberg News chronicling the increased use of “confessions of judgment” – an obscure legal filing used by merchant cash advance companies to force borrowers into payment without a court hearing.
Read MoreState-by-State Guide to Secretary of State Records (Business and Elections)
In this entry, we compile a state-by-state guide to Secretary of State offices across the country – typically tasked with business registration, professional licensing and election oversight – including a detailed overview of the records retained and available online resources.
Read MoreObtaining Military Records From the National Personnel Records Center
Today marks the 77th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. In observance of this day, we explain in our blog how to obtain military records of active service, retired, or deceased military veterans through the National Personnel Records Center
Read MoreContribute to the Library of Congress Through Crowdsourced Transcription
The Library of Congress is allowing volunteers to transcribe historical documents using the Concordia software tool. In a fascinating experiment, volunteers can assist in the tagging of photos and in several transcription projects, including a project called “Letters to Lincoln” in which the goal is to transcribe 28,000 pages of letters written to the 16th president by well wishers, special pleaders and friends.
Read MoreAccess Federal Awards, Contractual Information Through USA Spending
USASpending.gov is a little-known public records resource that can be used to assess federal spending and contract awards. The database allows users to conduct searches of federal expenditures through a variety of search functions, including keyword search, domestic spending, and searches of federal agencies, as well as the individual federal accounts within those agencies.
Read MoreIs Increased Disclosure Coming Under FARA?
Lobbyists and other influencers employed by international clients have traditionally reported the bare minimum in filings submitted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. In fact, law firms have largely avoided disclosure altogether due to an exemption for legal work, including their undertakings in the burgeoning field of legal communications. However, increased scrutiny on consulting work for foreign clients could bolster disclosure by lobbyists and consultants, as highlighted in a recent New York Times piece in which two law firms reported extensive legal communications work on behalf of a foreign client, despite one vendor claiming the work was exempt from reporting requirements.
Read MoreNew York Times on the "Weaponization" of Freedom of Information Laws
A fascinating story in today’s New York Times discussing the “weaponization” of the federal Freedom of Information Act and state open records laws. The article discusses the use of the California Public Records Act by an association of private tax preparation companies to obtain e-mails, text messages, voice mail messages and notes created but a University of California Davis professor who has criticized private tax preparation companies, specifically their association with an IRS tax filing program called Free File.
Read MoreCorporate Disclosures of Political Contributions Shed Light on Dark Money
This week a news report documented how three corporations made $1.6 million in contributions to pro-Trump dark money group America First Policies, a group whose leadership has previously made racist, sexist, bigoted and pro-Nazi statements. The story is also notable for how it used corporate disclosures of political contributions to provide insight into a 501(c)4 "dark money" group, which is otherwise not required to disclose its donors.
Read MoreInternet Archive At Center of Joy Reid Blog Controversy
This week MSNBC host Joy Reid was called out over homophobic posts attributed to her political blog, The Reid Report, in the late-2000s. There are several fascinating elements to this story with important implications for how the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, and a complementary system called archive.today, can be used when documenting a since-deleted website.
Read MoreGovtrack Database of Congressional Misconduct
Govtrack.us, a free website focused on following congressional legislation and lawmakers, has started compiling past and current congressional ethics investigations and other allegations of political malpractice against congress members.
Read MoreWashington Post Video Guide to Submitting FOIA Requests
This video provides a good six-minute primer on how to submit an effective Freedom of Information Act Request, with insights from a couple of the Washington Post's FOIA power users. The video provides several solid pointers for submitting a request which we'll elaborate on here
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