Can the Presidents National Energy Policy Development Group Be Required to Disclose How it Works?
Cheney et al. v. United States District Court for the District of Columbia Docket No. 03-475 From: The District of Columbia Circuit Case at a Glance This case is about influence and power. The arid statutory question, wrapped in arcane procedural issues, is whether the National Energy Policy Development Group appointed by President Bush and chaired by Vice President Cheney is required to disclose its inner workings at the behest of public watchdog groups and opponents of the Bush Administration. The poker pot in this hand of litigation is confidential information about the role of the energy industry in formulating governmental policies. But the Administration has raised the stakes and gone “all in” to invoke constitutional separation of powers to resist any further inquiry or disclosure whatsoever. • Previewed by Thomas E. Baker, a professor at Florida International University College of Law in Miami, Florida.
