“An informed citizenry,” the U.S. Supreme Court wrote in a 1978 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case, is “vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to hold the governors accountable to governed.” Or, in other words, open and transparent government is essential to a free society.
Unfortunately, government leaders and bureaucrats at all levels often seek to close, not open, government operations to the public. More and more, public school districts are evading transparency, hiding curriculum, and challenging those who question them—underscoring the importance of state public records laws that empower Americans to keep their government accountable.
Please join us for our event hosting Jon Riches who will discuss how citizens can enforce public records acts to promote transparency and hold our leaders accountable.
When: Tuesday, March 28, 11:45 a.m. (registration), 12:00 p.m. (program start)
Where: First Floor Conference Room, 2040 Main Street, 1st Floor, Irvine, CA. Please get your parking ticket validated in the lobby before or after entering the venue.
Cost: $30/members, $35/non-members, $10/students, for lunch and 1 hour of MCLE credit (the Federalist Society is a California State Bar approved provider of MCLE).
RSVP and Pay: To RSVP and pay by credit card, please register at the Federalist Society site here.
To pay by cash or check at the door, please send an RSVP to Tim Kowal at OCFedSocPresident@gmail.com and make checks payable to “The Federalist Society.”
Jon Riches is the Vice President for Litigation for the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation and General Counsel for the Institute. He litigates in federal and state trial and appellate courts in the areas of economic liberty, regulatory reform, free speech, taxpayer protections, public labor issues, government transparency, and school choice, among others.
Jon has developed and authored several pieces of legislation, including the landmark Right to Earn a Living Act, which provides some of the greatest protections in the country to job-seekers and entrepreneurs facing arbitrary licensing regulations. He also developed legislation eliminating deference to administrative agencies in Arizona—a first-of-its-kind regulatory reform that can serve as a model for the rest of the country.
His work at the Institute has been covered by national media, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CBS This Morning, Bloomberg News, and Politico. Jon is also a member of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project: State and Local Working Group.
Prior to joining the Goldwater Institute, Jon served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. While on active duty, Jon represented hundreds of clients, litigated dozens of court-martial cases, and advised commanders on a vast array of legal issues.
He previously clerked for Sen. Jon Kyl on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, worked for the Rules Committee in the Arizona State Senate, and clerked in the Office of Counsel to the President at the White House. Jon received his B.A. from Boston College, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his J.D. from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law.
Jon served as a presidentially appointed Panel Member on the Federal Service Impasses Panel. He is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and an Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University School of Law. Jon is a native of Phoenix.
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