Judge blocks release of some internal docs in whistleblower case

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said FDA is not required to release in full a subset of withheld or redacted internal documents related to the employment of current and former agency employees who are now suspected of leaking confidential information. In his opinion, Judge James Boasberg said the documents in question "do not reflect any governmental impropriety, but rather are 'part of the legitimate governmental process'" and are thus exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests. The National Whistleblower Center had said internal agency documents are not exempt where there is evidence of government misconduct, but Judge Boasberg said the documents "do not reflect the sort of governmental impropriety necessary." The opinion covers documents released by FDA to the center in 2011. ...