Supreme Court to hear arguments for food stamp data stemming from public records request
Jonathan Ellis, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Published 8:18 a.m. ET April 22, 2019
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – What started as a routine request for government spending records more than eight years ago will be the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court argument Monday that could alter the landscape of public information in the United States.
What's at stake
At stake in Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media is more than 40 years of established case law on a key provision of the Freedom of Information Act, known affectionately as FOIA by researchers, journalists and government watchdogs. Industry groups led by FMI and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hope to persuade the high court to drastically narrow information that is currently available under FOIA.
How did the case start?
The case centers on a request under FOIA that the Argus Leader made in February of 2011 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The request asked USDA to turn over several years of annual amounts that taxpayers paid to every business in the country that sells food under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program. Businesses that participate in SNAP include grocers, gas stations, big-box retailers and farmers’ markets.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/22/freedom-of-information-act-supreme-court-public-records-snap-data/3536794002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomnation-topstories
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