Kickoff Sunshine Week 2014 with the Department of Justice

Update: Due to government office closures in the D.C. area as a result of inclement weather we are not able to hold our Sunshine Week event today. Please stay tuned to FOIA Post for additional announcements and information for Sunshine Week 2014.

The Department of Justice is pleased to invite both agency personnel and members of the public to celebrate with us as we kickoff Sunshine Week 2014.  This year also marks the fifth anniversary of Attorney General Holder’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Guidelines, which highlighted the importance of the FOIA as a reflection of “our nation’s fundamental commitment to open government.”  Through his Guidelines, which were issued during Sunshine Week 2009, the Attorney General called on all government personnel to understand that the responsibility of an effective FOIA administration "belongs to all of us."  The Attorney General directed agencies to administer the FOIA with a presumption of openness, to ensure that they have effective systems in place to respond to requests, to work promptly and proactively to provide information to the public and to utilize technology to make information known to the public.

Associate Attorney General Tony West will lead our celebration this year and provide the keynote address commemorating the fifth anniversary of the FOIA Guidelines.  The event will highlight the many significant improvements agencies have made in their FOIA administration over the past five years. Representatives from a cross-section of federal agencies will also share their particular experiences and accomplishments over the years in improving their administration of the FOIA through the implementation of the Attorney General's FOIA Guidelines.   The details for the event, which is open to all agency personnel and members of the public, are:

We hope that you can join us for this year’s celebration.  If you are interested in attending this event, please register by e-mailing your name and phone number to OIP’s Training Officer at DOJ.OIP.FOIA@usdoj.gov, with the subject line “Sunshine Week 2014 Celebration.”  If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact our office at (202) 514-FOIA (3642).