On April 17, the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued new guidance on agency implementation of the March 19 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) memo written by Attorney General Eric Holder. Despite the clarifications, public interest groups continue to notice a wide difference between the new policy and agency actions on FOIA.

As President Barack Obama continues the process of nominating officials to fill agency positions in his administration, some senators have stalled the nominations over policy differences. The senators have targeted nominees to regulatory agencies that have responsibility for a range of environmental policies.

Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 (NAMUDNO) v. Holder, a U.S. Supreme Court case in which a small utility district in Texas is challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, is scheduled for oral argument on April 29. Section 5, reauthorized in 2006, applies to all or part of 16 states, and it applies to nine states in their entirety. It requires those states to get federal approval before changing election rules or procedures, due to past laws and practices that discriminated against and disenfranchised racial minorities. This provision is referred to as the "preclearance" provision.

Momentum is growing for Congress to eliminate severe restrictions on legal aid programs that receive Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funds. LSC programs are currently prohibited from engaging in certain activities such as lobbying, participating in agency rulemaking, and bringing class-action lawsuits. The new congressional efforts come as reports show how the restrictions have harmed home foreclosure prevention efforts.