N.Y. Immigrant Advocacy Group’s Open Records Case Revived (1)

An organization that provides legal assistance to immigrants in New York can move forward with its suit seeking access to non-precedential opinions of the Board of Immigration Appeals, after a divided Second Circuit held Friday that federal courts can order government agencies to make certain records available to the general public under the Freedom of Information Act.

The New York Legal Assistance Group aids low-income clients in immigration proceedings, including removal and asylum cases. The group sought access to all “unpublished opinions” issued by BIA since 1996 and going forward, to aid in the representation of its clients. These opinions ...