This is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of a local journalist, Philip Eil, who for years has been stymied in his effort to obtain access to public evidence from a major prescription drug-dealing trial. The lawsuit, against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seeks a court order to release the documents and a declaration that the DEA has wrongfully withheld and redacted documents. Current Status: In September 2016, Judge McConnell ruled in Eil's favor and ordered the documents released. In December 2017, the First Circuit Appeals Court denied access to the documents.
Watch an interview with Eil where he talks about the book he wrote after receiving the documents, and the process of the case. Watch here
(Note: the link will take you to youtube.com)
Dec 22, 2017
Appeals Court Denies Journalist Access To Court Documents In Major Drug Trial
In a ruling that the ACLU of Rhode Island called a blow to an open judicial process, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit today held, by a 2-1 vote, that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) can keep secret thousands of pages of documents it had submitted in a major prescription drug-dealing criminal trial. At the same time, the plaintiff in the case, local journalist Philip Eil, said the suit still had a positive effect, prompting the DEA to release thousands of other documents it would not have otherwise disclosed in the absence of the lawsuit.
Sep 16, 2016
Judge Orders U.S. DEA to Release Documents a Local Journalist Has Sought For Years
In an important victory for public access to judicial records, U.S. District Court John McConnell, Jr. today ordered the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release thousands of pages of documents in support of the ACLU of Rhode Island’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of local journalist Philip Eil.
Mar 15, 2016
Sunshine Week: ACLU Seeks Court Order for the Release of Documents Journalist has Sought for Years
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has asked a federal court to order the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release thousands of pages of documents in support of its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of local journalist Philip Eil (left, photo by Natalja Kent), who has been stymied for years in his effort to obtain from the DEA evidence disclosed at a major prescription drug-dealing trial. In its motion for summary judgment filed yesterday, the ACLU called for the release of “the wrongfully withheld documents post haste.”
Mar 18, 2015
ACLU Sues Drug Enforcement Agency For Public Records Local Journalist Requested 3 Years Ago
The ACLU of Rhode Island filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit today on behalf of local journalist, Philip Eil, who has been stymied for more than three years in his effort to obtain access to thousands of pages of public evidence from a major prescription drug-dealing trial. The lawsuit, against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seeks a court order to release the documents, a declaration that the DEA has wrongfully withheld and redacted documents, and an award of attorney fees. Filing the suit were ACLU volunteer attorneys Neal McNamara and Jessica Jewell, from the law firm of Nixon Peabody.
Related News & Podcasts
Dec 22, 2017
Appeals Court Denies Journalist Access To Court Documents In Major Drug Trial
In a ruling that the ACLU of Rhode Island called a blow to an open judicial process, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit today held, by a 2-1 vote, that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) can keep secret thousands of pages of documents it had submitted in a major prescription drug-dealing criminal trial. At the same time, the plaintiff in the case, local journalist Philip Eil, said the suit still had a positive effect, prompting the DEA to release thousands of other documents it would not have otherwise disclosed in the absence of the lawsuit.
Sep 16, 2016
Judge Orders U.S. DEA to Release Documents a Local Journalist Has Sought For Years
In an important victory for public access to judicial records, U.S. District Court John McConnell, Jr. today ordered the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release thousands of pages of documents in support of the ACLU of Rhode Island’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of local journalist Philip Eil.
Mar 15, 2016
Sunshine Week: ACLU Seeks Court Order for the Release of Documents Journalist has Sought for Years
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has asked a federal court to order the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release thousands of pages of documents in support of its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of local journalist Philip Eil (left, photo by Natalja Kent), who has been stymied for years in his effort to obtain from the DEA evidence disclosed at a major prescription drug-dealing trial. In its motion for summary judgment filed yesterday, the ACLU called for the release of “the wrongfully withheld documents post haste.”
Mar 18, 2015
ACLU Sues Drug Enforcement Agency For Public Records Local Journalist Requested 3 Years Ago
The ACLU of Rhode Island filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit today on behalf of local journalist, Philip Eil, who has been stymied for more than three years in his effort to obtain access to thousands of pages of public evidence from a major prescription drug-dealing trial. The lawsuit, against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seeks a court order to release the documents, a declaration that the DEA has wrongfully withheld and redacted documents, and an award of attorney fees. Filing the suit were ACLU volunteer attorneys Neal McNamara and Jessica Jewell, from the law firm of Nixon Peabody.
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