Levitt v. New York City Police Department [1]

On January 10, 2007, the New York City Police Department [2] (NYPD) notified Leonard Levitt, a journalist and blogger who operates NYPD Confidential [3], that it would not renew his press credentials. 

Before this denial, Levitt had held NYPD press credentials for twenty-seven years, according to the New York Times [4]. Levitt's petition [5] in New York state court indicates that NYPD Confidential is

a news gathering organization that covers spot or breaking news events on a regular basis. [Mr. Levitt] provides in-depth investigative reporting of NYPD events, often exposing behavior and events the NYPD would rather be shielded from the public.

As explained in a New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) press release [6], Mr. Levitt believes that the NYPD denied him credentials in retaliation for his critical views about the department.

After the NYPD confirmed the denial of his press pass on appeal, Mr. Levitt asked the department for more information regarding its credentialing policies and procedures, and it allegedly refused to comply. Levitt and the NYCLU subsequently filed a Freedom of Information Law [7] (FOIL) request with the NYPD, asking for documents related to its policies and procedures governing press passes, and documents related to the department's denial of Mr. Levitt's application. The NYPD did not produce any responsive documents and denied an administrative appeal. In response, on February 20, 2008, Levitt and the NYCLU filed a lawsuit in New York to compel production of the requested documents.

The NYPD turned over the requested documents in June 2008.