In the news

One goal of campaign finance reform is to end the appearance and reality of corruption that comes with large campaign contributions. This appearance is attached especially to large contributions from those doing business with the city or trying to change its laws -- contractors, lobbyists, and unions. This appearance is most serious when the position has fiduciary obligations and is supposed to be independent rather than representative, such as the New York City Comptroller.

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One of the interesting things about the attorney-client privilege in a government setting is that the privilege -- which is, of course, the client's, not the lawyer's -- is held by the office, not by the individual holding the office at the time of the communication. This is a major reason why the attorney-client privilege is different in a government context:  whenever a government official tells something to a government attorney, the official knows that his or her successor might waive the...

[This blog entry has been substantially changed based on a response from the Phoenix City Manager, who provided information about the reasons for the City Attorney's position and the relationship of the City Attorney with the mayor.]

Phoenix's City Attorney determined, according to an article in the Arizona Republic this week, that city employees are not...

According to a New York Times article last week, hundreds of lawyers in New York State who have done consulting work for local school districts allowed themselves to be listed as part-time employees and allowed themselves to be enrolled in the school districts' pension systems. According to an article in the New...

Last week, the New York Times reported that for six months the White House refused to open an e-mail from the Environmental Protection Agency, a report stating that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled. The White House considered the EPA report to be in some sort of "e-mail limbo," without official status. So nothing had to be done about it.

Only a lawyer could...

The Internet provides all sorts of opportunities for both transparency and citizen feedback. One way, which I pointed out recently, is for local government officials to have blogs that allow them to present their news and views, and allow citizens to respond and ask questions.

Two other approaches have just been taken by towns near where I live.

Click here to...