American Oversight

We are American Oversight, a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization committed to advancing truth, accountability, and democracy. Our core mission is to enforce the public's right to government records. Since our inception in March 2017, we have been at the forefront of the fight for transparency, obtaining and publishing tens of thousands of documents from federal, state, and local government agencies. We believe that an informed public is essential for a strong democracy, and we work tirelessly to ensure that government at all levels is transparent and accountable to the people it serves. The records we uncover have been instrumental in supporting congressional inquiries, fueling investigative journalism, and empowering the work of our partner organizations. Our efforts have been featured in hundreds of news stories across the country, demonstrating the power of public records in holding our leaders accountable.

We were founded in response to the significant challenges posed to our nation's democratic ideals and institutions. Today, our work extends across more than two dozen states, with a focus on critical priorities such as combating attacks on democratic institutions, protecting civil rights and liberties, exposing abuses of power, and fighting the erosion of government transparency. We are a team of dedicated lawyers, researchers, and communicators who specialize in using open records laws, like the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), to obtain information that powerful figures would prefer to keep hidden. When government agencies fail to comply with the law, our expert legal team is prepared to take them to court to enforce the public's right to know. We are obsessively collaborative and actively seek partnerships with other organizations to amplify our collective impact. All the documents we obtain are made available to the public through our extensive online library, because we firmly believe that public records belong to the public.