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• Finding Shade From The "Government In The Sunshine Act": A Proposal To Permit Private Informal Background Discussions At The U.S. International Trade Commission, Michael Anthony Lawrence

Michael Anthony Lawrence

This article suggests that the practice of International Trade Commission (ITC) commissioners not to deliberate or share opinions among the themselves before releasing their decisions in antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) cases is at once shortsighted, anti-intellectual, and ultimately unnecessary. The plain language and legislative history of the federal Government in the Sunshine Act - the ITC’s apparent procedural reason not to deliberate or share opinions – simply does not apply, either to informal background discussions among the commissioners designed to clarify issues and expose varying views, or to the sort of meetings where the commissioners might discuss AD/CVD cases. …