Grabell v. NYPD

The Reporters Committee and 14 media organizations filed an amicus brief in support of a motion by Michael Grabell, a reporter for ProPublica, for the New York Court of Appeals to hear a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) case concerning access to records on the NYPD's x-ray van (or Z Backscatter Vans) program. The amicus brief argued that the intermediate appellate court's decision below (1) ignored publicly available information about ZBVs and failed to order the release of segregable information, and (2) jeopardized the ability of FOIL to serve as an effective tool for public oversight of law enforcement activities.