Open government is honest government. This is the principle that drives Judicial Watch’s fight against government secrecy. Using open records laws, such as the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the states’ Sunshine Laws, Judicial Watch forces the release of government documents into the public domain. When elected and appointed public officials or government agencies stonewall investigations or try to hide behind special privilege, Judicial Watch takes strong legal action to force them to comply with open records laws.

RECENT CASES

• JUDICIAL WATCH v. U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION – JW lawsuit to obtain records of the Task Force on National Heath Care Reform chaired by former First Lady (now Senator) Hillary Rodham Clinton.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION – JW lawsuit to obtain Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s official calendar, schedule, and day planner, and related documents from her tenure as First Lady.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, et al – JW lawsuit to obtain records from the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT – JW lawsuit to obtain records containing communications between the Bureau of Land Management and Harry Reid, John Ensign and Jim Gibbons regarding Coyote Springs Investment.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE – JW lawsuit to open to the public meetings of the North American Competitiveness Council, an entity created under the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP.)
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY – JW lawsuit to obtain documents regarding a multi-billion dollar no-bid contract awarded to the oil services company Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, to restart Iraq’s oil production.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE – JW lawsuit to obtain records regarding the Clinton Administration’s sale of seats on U.S. Department of Commerce foreign trade missions in exchange for contributions to the Democratic National Committee.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE – JW lawsuit to obtain records regarding the Terrorist Surveillance Program.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION – JW lawsuit to obtain records regarding contacts and communications between U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton, Patty Murray, and Michael Enzi and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concerning the approval of over-the-counter sales of levonorgestrel, the "morning after" pill also known as Plan B.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION – JW lawsuit to obtain records regarding the approval of mifepristone, the "abortion pill" also known as RU-486.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH – JW lawsuit to obtain federal grand jury subpoenas served on the Office of Illinois Governor Rod. R. Blagojevich.
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. SECRET SERVICE – JW lawsuit to obtain logs of visits by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to the White House.

PAST CASES

• JUDICIAL WATCH v. NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP, et., al. - Cheney Energy Task Force
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - Pardongate
• JUDICIAL WATCH v. THE STATE OF VERMONT, HOWARD DEAN, et. al
• White House E-mails