The brief filed yesterday asks the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a highly unusual opinion issued earlier this year by a panel of the same court, which ruled that the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) violates the First Amendment. The case began when two former city councilors in Alpine, Tex., were indicted under TOMA for discussing city business via private e-mail messages. Although the charges were dropped, the politicians filed a lawsuit charging that TOMA violated their right to free speech. AAN joined two dozen other media organizations in signing onto the amicus brief, which was written and organized by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

In what special counsel to the president Norm Eisen calls "a historic new policy," the Obama Administration announced this morning that "(a)side from a small group of appointments that cannot be disclosed because of national security imperatives or their necessarily confidential nature (such as a visit by a possible Supreme Court nominee), the record of every visitor who comes to the White House for an appointment, a tour, or to conduct business will be released." The administration also announced that it settled a lawsuit demanding specific visitor records, "including those dating from the Bush administration."