The Secrecy Of The Judicial Branch

Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason has an essay in today's Wall Street Journal describing the antiquated hurdles to judicial records. She writes:

"But with the possible exception of the ever-leaky CIA, no aspect of government remains more locked down than the secretive, hierarchical judicial branch. Digital records of court filings, briefs and transcripts sit behind paywalls like Lexis and Westlaw. Legal codes and judicial documents aren't copyrighted, but governments often cut exclusive distribution deals, rendering other access methods a bit legally questionable. Supreme Court decisions are easy to get, but the briefs and decisions of lower courts can be hard to come by."

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Where is the Transparency

Barack Obama needs to live up to his promise of transparency. The administration should release the White House records regarding health care meetings. The LA Times Article. Sphere: Related Content

Terrible TARP

When I invest my money understanding where it is is vital to understand risk. If a broker doesn't answer my questions I sell and move my funds elsewhere. I wish we could do that with the TARP funds.

Wall Street Journal article this afternoon states:

While Mr. Barofsky [TARP Special Inspector General] said the Treasury has generally been cooperative, one issue could be communication between Mr. Barofsky and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Asked Tuesday when he last spoke to Mr. Geithner, Mr. Barofsky acknowledged that their last conversation occurred in January, just a "couple of minutes before a larger meeting."

This is a bad way to invest. The administration that campaigned on transparency needs to fix this problem. Sphere: Related Content