After nine years and over 60,000 requests, MuckRock has been witness to some pretty impressive efforts to keep public information from the public. In the spirit of Sunshine Week, we’ve compiled some of the weirdest, wildest, and downright hilarious rejections we’ve received.

A bill slated to extend certain aspects of the public records act to the Washington State Legislature is dead following a heated public hearing.

Legislators in Washington state are set to discuss a new bill looking to bring some highly-anticipated sunshine into the legislative branch.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation explored hundreds of leads over the course of its 45-year investigation into the infamous D.B. Cooper skyjacking case. Even after the Bureau closed the Cooper case in 2016, devoted independent sleuths to the case have pursued and released new theories.

Each state and jurisdiction has the discretion to implement FOIA and public record laws differently. Depending on the type of document you’re searching for, accessing that same record in one state may not be so public in another. In Washington state, the Public Records Act is not clear on whether the legislative branch is exempt or not. However, a new Legislative Task Force on Public Records in Washington met for the first time early this month to tackle the PRA as it pertains to their legislature and find solutions to issues of transparency.

Public records can help dig into policy makers at all levels, as well as help find out the truth on the ground. This week’s FOIA roundup shows how you can use requests to do the same no matter what subject you’re interested in.

With a New York Judge upgrading the warrant requirement for a cell site simulator from probable cause to eavesdropping, it is important to take a look back at our census and the data researchers have compiled about these invasive surveillance tools.

If there’s one thing we here at MuckRock love, it’s a creative take on what a “public record” is. Which is why were overjoyed when Kevin Wallace requested - and received - two CDs full of the programmed announcements used on Seattle’s Sound Transit links.

Last year, Seattle-based activist Phil Mocek requested text messages sent by mayor Ed Murray to his staff. Unsurprisingly, the mayor’s press team responded fairly quickly - albeit in a fairly surprisingly way.

Since May 23rd, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Venkat Balasubramani of Focal PLLC have been helping fight a series of lawsuits against MuckRock over requests filed by Phil Mocek regarding so-called “smart meters” in the city of Seattle. Yesterday, the last of those suits was finally dismissed.