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Reading Room Document

Administration's Policy on Assertion of Executive Privilege

This opinion examined past policies on executive privilege and concluded that the privilege “should be invoked only where necessary and only after a thorough inquiry into the actual need for doing so.” It also advised that the only the president should invoke the privilege directly. The opinion departed from the Nixon administration’s position on privilege and recommended a recalibration toward “greater harmony with Congress.”

June 8, 1977

The OLC's Opinions

Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit

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Free Speech & Social Media

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Knight Institute Comments on Proposed TikTok Ban

Says ban of speech platform would raise serious First Amendment concerns

Privacy & Surveillance

Privacy & Surveillance

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Pegasus spyware was used to hack reporters’ phones. I’m suing its creators

When you’re infected by Pegasus, spies effectively hold a clone of your phone – we’re fighting back

Transparency & Democracy

Transparency & Democracy

Featured

New DOJ Regulations Are a Victory for Press Freedom, But More Work Remains

  

Events

Optimizing for What? Algorithmic Amplification and Society

Columbia University

Optimizing for What? Algorithmic Amplification and Society

A two-day symposium exploring algorithmic amplification and distortion as well as potential interventions

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