American Oversight in the News

Local Georgia election boards gain power to refuse to certify elections

NewsNation

“The board’s anti-democratic majority has aligned itself with the election denial movement to advance partisan rules designed to cause confusion on…

Georgia Election Board wants ‘US Citizens Only’ signs posted at polls

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“These signs aren’t just unnecessary — they also contribute to the harmful rhetoric that has a chilling effect on legal voting among immigrants and…

Tarrant County’s new tech lets you see ballots, verify election results ‘from the couch’

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

A coalition of groups including the League of Women Voters and American Oversight sent a letter to the Justice Department in June to protect voter …

Georgia state Election Board Republicans order 2020 reinvestigation; Donald Trump celebrates

USA Today

American Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog, alleged in a lawsuit that the rules recently adopted by the GOP trio were unlawful because the…

January 6 was a beta test for 2025

Salon

The Board does not certify elections, however; and good government watchdogs, like American Oversight, are doing their best to keep it honest.

Trump says GA Election Board members are ‘pit bulls’ for ‘victory,’ but is that their job?

USA Today

“To the extent that Trump is that intimately aware of who is on the State Election Board and is championing them … that should raise the alarm bell…

Georgia election board passes rule that could delay election certification

Democracy Docket

Last month, the board held an illegal meeting to review new controversial election policies. But then nonpartisan watchdog group American Oversight…

Jeff Landry is withholding records from the public by citing an exemption that’s not in law

The Times-Picayune

Among the groups that have denounced the change to Louisiana’s law are American Oversight and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Georgia State Election Board reconsiders measures amid legal challenge over meeting validity

Hoodline

According to AP News, the lawsuit filed by American Oversight, a liberal-leaning watchdog organization, contends that the Georgia State Election Bo…

Jay Ashcroft took over $40,000 from election-denying group, made state’s election regulations less reliable

Heartland Signal

According to documents obtained by American Oversight and published in January, Ashcroft received several emails from members of Verity Vote, an el…

State Election Board resets votes on proposed rules changes

Capitol Beat News Service

Chioma Chukwu, interim executive director of American Oversight, the group that filed the lawsuit, criticized the quick turnaround after Tuesday’s …

Georgia Election Board decides to revisit contentious votes

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The board’s move to revisit its July 18 votes comes after the left-leaning open government group American Oversight filed a lawsuit alleging the me…

Tight race puts voter confidence in play

The Current

A Washington, D.C-based government watchdog group, American Oversight, has sued the three, claiming they violated the state’s Open Meetings Act.

Georgia State Election Board to review controversial election certification rules amid legal pushback

Hoodline

The controversy stems from that July 12 meeting, where conservative board members Rick Jeffares, Janice Johnston, and Janelle King, who have public…

Georgia election board rolls back some actions after a lawsuit claimed its meeting was illegal

Associated Press

American Oversight, a liberal-leaning watchdog group, sued the board over the July 12 meeting where only board members Dr. Janice Johnston, Rick Je…

Georgia election board walks back rules approved at meeting flagged by state AG

Georgia Recorder

Tuesday’s meeting was set in the wake of a lawsuit filed by American Oversight on July 19 against conservative appointed election board members Ric…

Georgia election board walks back rules approved at meeting flagged by state AG

Georgia Recorder

Tuesday’s meeting was set in the wake of a lawsuit filed by American Oversight on July 19 against conservative appointed election board members Ric…

A closer race, and troubling questions about those supervising it

Saporta Report

Two days after American Oversight, an election watchdog group, filed suit against the board for violating the Georgia Open Meetings Act, President …

Right-wing constitutional sheriffs group looking for wins in Michigan’s election

Detroit News

Chioma Chukwu, a civil rights lawyer and interim executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit watchdog organization American Oversigh…

Nonprofit government watchdog sues state Board of Elections

WUGA

The group American Oversight, a non-profit consisting of lawyers, researchers, and others, contends that the meeting was held without proper notice…

Court documents: Georgia State Election Board sued, accused of holding illegal meeting

Atlanta News First

American Oversight sued the board and its members, claiming the July 12 board meeting was “unlawful” and violated the Open Meetings Act.

Ga. Election Board sued, accused of holding illegal meeting

WRDW

American Oversight sued the board and its members, claiming the July 12 board meeting was “unlawful” and violated the Open Meetings Act.

NGOs urge ICE to reinstate free calls program for detainees claiming ‘disregard for basic humanity’

Latin Times

As the ACLU, American Oversight, and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) recently found, 95% of deaths in immigration detention were preventable or p…

West Virginia paid more than $900,000 sending National Guard members to Texas border in 2023

West Virginia Watch

The state of West Virginia spent more than $900,000 in 2023 sending a group of volunteers from the West Virginia National Guard to the southern bor…

Government watchdog sues Georgia election board charging GOP faction violated meeting laws

Georgia Recorder

American Oversight filed a lawsuit Friday in Fulton County Superior Court accusing conservative appointed election board members Rick Jeffares, Jan…

Georgia State Election Board accused of violating Open Meetings Act in lawsuit

Augusta Chronicle

According to the lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court by the group American Oversight, notice of the special meeting wasn’t posted until …

Georgia State Election Board meeting challenge

Democracy Docket

Lawsuit filed by American Oversight and an anonymous individual against the Georgia State Election Board and five of its members challenging the le…

An open government group is suing the State Election Board over a meeting it says was illegal

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Now the left-leaning group American Oversight seeks to void the rules and penalize the board in a lawsuit filed late Thursday in Fulton County Supe…

Extremist or hero? Meet Michigan’s freedom-loving constitutional sheriff

MLive

Groups like the SPLC, Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights and American Oversight have criticized the CSPOA philosophy as dangerous…

Emails show Republican leader’s involvement in Georgia election rules

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

But McKoon’s involvement drew criticism from Democrats and from the left-leaning open government advocacy group American Oversight.

Inside the private pressure campaign to force hand-counting of Arizona ballots

Votebeat

Other newly obtained text messages from Cochise County, which American Oversight fought for in court and shared with Votebeat, show that a state se…

The backlash against the Georgia election board’s actions is growing

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In a Monday letter to the board, the left-leaning group American Oversight, which advocates for open government, threatened to file legal action, c…

Movimiento arranca con petición para suspender centros de detención de ICE

Los Angeles Times

Los activistas destacan investigaciones recientes sobre el uso del confinamiento solitario, el abuso de inmigrantes LGBTQ y VIH positivos y las mue…

Column: Youngkin’s education agenda on the wrong side of history

Daily Press

The review was revealed in public records obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight and shared with the Washington Post.

Impromptu State Election Board meeting met with ire, jeers

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

American Oversight, a liberal watchdog group, shared a letter online that showed an open records request for emails sent about the meeting.

Lobbying World: SEC policy director joins Mindset

The Hill

Liz Hempowicz is joining American Oversight as deputy executive director.

Ohio Secretary of State office move cost $147K more than promised, watchdog says

Ohio Capital Journal

The analysis, by the progressive group American Oversight, is based on documents obtained through an open-records request.

‘Divisive concepts’ law at work: LGBTQ books pulled from Cobb schools, Shakespeare flagged for review

Cobb County Courier

An open records request by American Oversight, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, which was shared with the Courier, provided some insight in…

ACLU finds nearly all deaths in ICE custody between 2017 and 2021 were preventable

Reckon

The study, released in late June with American Oversight and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), determined that 95 percent of those deaths — includ…

Report: Migrant in detention died after waiting 50+ minutes for ambulance

WTOP News

A new study from the group, along with American Oversight and Physicians for Human Rights, found 95% of the deaths across the country could have be…

Most immigrant deaths in ICE detention were preventable… and other news on solitary confinement this week

Solitary Watch

The majority of immigrant deaths in ICE custody were preventable, a new report by the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights, and American Oversight found.

Suit over Baker County Sheriff’s handling of ICE detainees awaits judge’s ruling

Jacksonville Today

The hearing comes within the same week as a new report released by the American Civil Liberties Union, American Oversight, and Physicians for Human…

Williams: Rewrite MLK? The Youngkin administration can’t be trusted with history.

Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Post story was based on records of the previously unreleased proposals obtained by watchdog group American Oversight and shared with the newspa…

Review of Virginia African American studies course ‘eliminates the notion of racism,’ oversight group says

WTOP News

The review was obtained by the group American Oversight through a public records request to the Virginia Department of Education.

ICE detainees suffer preventable deaths − Q&A with a medical researcher about systemic failures

The report, Deadly Failures, released on June 25, 2024, by the American Civil Liberties Union, American Oversight, and Physicians for Human Rights,…

Miller’s transphobic dress code shook ag department

Reform Austin

The non-profit American Oversight filed a FOIA request around the policy and shared it with The Texas Observer.

Informe de ACLU revela negligencia médica en muertes de migrantes bajo custodia de ICE

Contra Réplica

El informe es un proyecto conjunto de la ACLU, PHR y American Oversight, basado en el análisis de más de 14,500 páginas de documentos, la mayoría o…

Latest report on preventable deaths in ICE custody supports whistleblower disclosure

Government Accountability Project

The report, “Deadly Failures: Preventable Deaths in U.S. Immigration Detention,” published by the ACLU, American Oversight, and Physicians for Huma…

Informe revela “peligro sistemático” por muertes de inmigrantes en cárceles de ICE

Univision

El reporte fue elaborado por la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés), American Oversight y Médicos por los Derech…

Documents reveal proposed changes to Virginia’s African American history course

WRIC

Dozens of recommended revisions to the course’s content and curriculum outline were disclosed in documents obtained by the nonpartisan watchdog non…

La “inmensa mayoría” de las muertes de inmigrantes detenidos por ICE pudieron haberse evitado, según un informe de ACLU

Telemundo

El informe de 76 páginas, un proyecto de la ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights y American Oversight, examinó las muertes de 52 personas bajo custodi…

ICE detainee deaths could have been prevented, ACLU report says

NBC News

The 76-page report, a project of the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights and American Oversight, examines the deaths of 52 people in ICE custody from…

ICE detention center in Tacoma among those with the highest number of deaths

KNKX Public Radio

And according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union, American Oversight, and Physicians for Human Rights, those deaths could have l…

Most immigrant deaths in ICE detention could have been prevented

Mother Jones

Now, a new report by the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights, and the nonprofit watchdog American Oversight reveals how “systemic failures in medical…

Report: Many recent immigration detainee deaths could have been prevented

Verite News

Three human rights organizations – American Oversight, American Civil Liberties Union and Physicians for Human Rights – teamed up to examine federa…

Informe de la ACLU revela que la mayoría de las muertes de inmigrantes detenidos por ICE podrían haberse evitado

El Tiempo Latino

Un informe de la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) junto con Médicos por los Derechos Humanos y American Oversight, afirma que la mayorí…

52 people died in ICE detention. 49 were preventable, report claims

News Nation

The report, released Wednesday by the ACLU National Prison Project, Physicians for Human Rights and nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight, ex…

Nearly all deaths in ICE custody over 5 years were preventable, new report finds

Prism

The new report, “Deadly Failures: Preventable Deaths in U.S. Immigration Detention,” reviewed more than 14,500 pages of documents published by the …

New report finds majority of immigrant deaths in ICE detention could have been prevented

KJZZ

The report comes from the ACLU, American Oversight and the Physicians for Human Rights.

Virginia proposed changes to African American history course, documents show

Washington Post

The review was revealed in public records obtained by watchdog group American Oversight and shared with The Washington Post.

Transphobic dress code prompted turmoil in agriculture department, emails show

Texas Observer

Since then, the nonprofit American Oversight obtained a cache of emails pertaining to the policy through a public information request and provided …

Documents detail Republican push to force hand counts in Arizona election

Guardian

The records from Cochise county, a Republican stronghold along the US-Mexico border, only came to light after a lawsuit from a watchdog group, Amer…

Voter advocacy groups ask DOJ to step in after Texas allowed some voters’ ballots to be identified

Votebeat

The League of Women Voters of Texas, American Oversight, the Campaign Legal Center, and Southern Coalition for Social Justice cited the investigati…

The ‘chilling’ Trump plan that could pave the way for authoritarianism

HuffPost

The Office of Personnel Management — the executive branch’s human resource’s office, and the office that would be responsible for actually overseei…

New Jersey law will limit access to government records

New York Times

The nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight called the step “a shameless attempt to allow officials to hide their activities from public view.”

All the states investigating the 2020 election: Wisconsin brings charges against Trump ally Kenneth Chesebro

Forbes

Pennsylvania and New Mexico’s certificates hedged by saying they’re an alternate slate of electors just in case Biden’s win in the states was inval…

All the states investigating the 2020 election: Wisconsin brings charges against Trump ally Kenneth Chesebro

Forbes

Pennsylvania and New Mexico’s certificates hedged by saying they’re an alternate slate of electors just in case Biden’s win in the states was inval…

Request for DeSantis’ travel records leads to 2-year delay, then denial

Tampa Bay Times

A lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality was recently filed in Leon Circuit Court by American Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog c…

Groups sue Mark Lamb seeking correspondence about election and voter fraud

Arizona Republic

The ACLU of Arizona and the nonpartisan watchdog group American Oversight are suing Pinal County sheriff and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Lamb over w…

Meet the MAGA billionaire hosting Trump’s Las Vegas fundraiser

Forbes

The following week, Ahern flew out to Arizona with Michael McDonald, chair of the Republican Party of Nevada, and Jesse Law, chairman of Nevada’s C…

How much does it cost DeSantis to travel from one place to another? Florida won’t tell you

Tallahassee Democrat

American Oversight, a government accountability watchdog that sued the governor’s office for alleged public records violations a couple of months a…

Texas inmates are being ‘cooked to death’ in summer heat, lawsuit alleges

NPR

Texas prisoners filed more than 4,000 heat-related complaints last year, according to the watchdog group American Oversight.

Comprehensive timeline on false electors scheme in 2020 presidential election

Just Security

The false Trump electors meet in seven states to issue their certificates, which are later published by American Oversight as a result of a FOIA re…

Office of Open Records rules Fulton County, Pa., must turn over emails, lawyer pay records

Public Opinion

In a batch of emails first obtained by the nonprofit American Oversight, Wake TSI Vice President Gene Kern asked the county’s Republican commission…

‘Danger to our democracy’: fears over Trump allies’ summit with far-right sheriffs

Guardian

American Oversight’s interim executive director, Chioma Chukwu, told the Guardian: “Nothing is more dangerous to our democracy than a movement base…

What internal CMS emails reveal about NC Parents Bill of Rights implementation

Charlotte Observer

American Oversight, a nonprofit public records watchdog, requested and received 1,029 pages of emails and attachments between CMS officials and edu…

Republican National Committee courts election conspiracy theorists to help watch polls

News from the States

According to documents obtained by the progressive group American Oversight, Valentine has worked closely with Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, a key fi…

Election fraud ‘boogeyman’: Republicans urge Utah to resign from ERIC voter roll cleanup group

Utah News Dispatch

In December, the nonprofit American Oversight, which describes itself as a “watchdog that advances truth, accountability and democracy by enforcing…

Phones of top Pentagon officials were wiped of Jan. 6 messages

The Washington Post

Court records published on the website of the watchdog group American Oversight indicate that the Pentagon “wiped” the government-issued phones of …