[Scout](https://scout.sunlightfoundation.com/), Sunlight Foundation's government search and alert system, is now delivering daily alerts on [federal court opinions](https://scout.sunlightfoundation.com/search/court_opinions/citizens%20united). Court opinions will be included by default — along with regulations, legislation, speeches, and reports — for any alert based on search terms.
Continue readingAnnouncing the Docket Wrench API
Presenting the new Docket Wrench API! This API allows developers to utilize the same analytics that power Docket Wrench to build innovative new services and tools. Sign up for a free key and check it out!
Continue readingA FOIA Victory for Sunlight and Spending Transparency
Just two days after the filing of Sunlight’s first lawsuit, and after more than five months of agency recalcitrance, we received the documents we sued for under the Freedom of Information Act.
Continue readingWhat’s Under the Hood of Google’s New Civic Information Offering
Exciting news for anyone working on open government technology: Google's Civic Information API now includes representative data! The API was already a great source of electoral information. Now it can help connect people to the politicians who represent them.
Continue readingExtra! Extra!! Get your real time campaign finance data here!!!
As fundraising for the 2014 congressional contests heats up and filing deadlines loom this week, the Sunlight Foundation is unveiling a new tool - the Real-Time FEC tracker - that will allow users to search, sort, filter and get alerts for campaign finance reports as they land at the Federal Election Commission.
Sunlight APIs: One Billion Served!
Last week was dominated by news of the first government shutdown in seventeen years. But at Sunlight it also marked a different, more cheerful milestone. Last week, Sunlight's APIs served their billionth request!
Continue readingEasy Problems, Hard Problems and Healthcare.gov
This Reuters article about Healthcare.gov has been getting some attention today. Alas, it's not very good, focusing on client-side optimizations that are probably unrelated to the site's early woes. Healthcare.gov's problems are almost certainly occurring at a deeper level of the system, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for an outsider to gauge their seriousness.
To explain, let's do one of those analogy things. Say that Kathleen is planning a birthday party for herself.
Government APIs Aren’t A Backup Plan
When the government shuts down and takes most of its data with it, the public needs to have a backup plan.
Continue readingWhat Happens to .gov in a Shutdown?
The Library of Congress Really Really Does Not Want To Give You Your Data
It's 2013, and the Library of Congress seems to think releasing public data about Congress is a risk to the public.
The Library of Congress is in charge of [THOMAS.gov](http://thomas.loc.gov/), and its successor [Congress.gov](http://congress.gov). These sites publish some of the most fundamental information about Congress — the history and status of bills. Whether it's immigration law or SOPA, patent reform or Obamacare, the Library of Congress will tell you: *What is Congress working on? Who's working on it? When did that happen?*
Except they won't let you download that information.
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