American Progress Files Amicus Curiae Brief in Cheney v. U.S. District Court

Download today's Amicus Curiae Brief in PDF.

Today the Center for American Progress joined with four leading library associations, the nation's largest archival association, and four other public interest organizations in a friend of the court brief in the case of Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, et. al., v. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case concerns the request by the Sierra Club and Judicial Watch for disclosure of who, outside of the government, participated in the vice president's National Energy Policy Development Group. Vice President Cheney has refused to disclose any information about the group.

John D. Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, said, "Our democratic system depends on public confidence in the workings of our government. 'Undisclosed locations' may thrive without sunshine, but our democracy cannot."

Joining the Center in filing the brief are the American Association of Law Libraries, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, OMB Watch, Common Cause, the National Security Archive, People for the American Way, the Society of American Archivists, and the Special Libraries Association.