FOIA Friday: Judge sets trial date in Richmond transparency case, news editor wins plate reader case

FOIA Friday: Judge sets trial date in Richmond transparency case, news editor wins plate reader case

(Photo by Getty Images)One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in practice take the opposite stance, acting as if records are by def…