government transparency

  • Congress Subpoenas Epstein Files After Rep. Summer Lee Forces Vote, Overcomes GOP Opposition

    Summer Lee (D-PA) scored a major legal and political victory this week after successfully forcing a House subcommittee vote to subpoena the Department of Justice for the full, unredacted release of the Jeffrey Epstein files—despite initial opposition from Republican lawmakers. The House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement passed Rep. Lee’s motion on a bipartisan…

  • Federal Judge Slams Trump Administration’s ‘Baseless Claims’ About Civil Servants

    In a pointed ruling that offered sharp words for President Donald Trump’s administration, a federal judge this week denounced what she called “seemingly baseless claims” against federal workers and described the administration’s rhetoric about mass government firings as “a slap in the face” to longtime public servants. The case stems from a lawsuit filed by…

  • Judge Orders DOGE to Release FOIA Documents Amid Transparency Dispute

    A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to release records requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The ruling comes after the Trump administration argued that DOGE, a quasi-governmental agency, was not subject to…

  • Federal Judge Blocks Musk-Linked Treasury Access Amid Legal Challenge

    A federal judge has temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s White House-backed efficiency team from accessing sensitive Treasury Department data following a lawsuit filed by 19 states challenging the legality of such access. The lawsuit, brought by a coalition of mostly Democratic attorneys general, argues that President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent violated federal law…