FOIA & Public-Records Litigation
When an agency stonewalls, delays, or denies a lawful request, Ralph files suit under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act to compel disclosure, and to recover fees where the law allows.
Open Government Law · Detroit, Michigan
Shining light on government secrecy
Ralph Simpson is a civil rights and open-government attorney using Michigan's Freedom of Information Act to hold public agencies accountable, for journalists, citizens, and community organizations across the state.
Serving the State of Michigan
About Ralph Simpson
A Detroit attorney who makes government answer.
Ralph Simpson is a civil rights and open-government attorney based in Detroit, Michigan, widely known for his work with the ACLU of Michigan. He helps journalists, citizens, and community organizations use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to hold government agencies accountable.
Beyond the courtroom, Ralph is a vocal advocate for transparency, leading public workshops and clinics that teach Detroit residents and community groups how to request local government records, and challenging the excessive search fees and unreasonable delays that keep public information out of public hands.
- Focus
- FOIA & Transparency
- Affiliation
- ACLU of Michigan
- Serves
- All of Michigan
Practice Areas
Built around one principle: the public's right to know.
Government Transparency & Accountability
Strategic counsel for holding cities, schools, and police agencies to their obligation to operate in the open, from the first request through appeal and litigation.
Civil Rights Litigation
Representation rooted in civil rights and public-interest work, often alongside the ACLU of Michigan, where transparency and accountability intersect.
FOIA Education & Workshops
Public workshops and clinics that teach residents, journalists, and community groups how to write effective requests and push back on excessive fees and delays.
Advocacy & Education
Knowledge is the first tool of accountability.
Ralph leads public FOIA workshops and clinics, teaching Michigan residents, journalists, and community groups how to request the records that hold government accountable.
Notable Results
Records pried loose. Agencies held to account.
- 2015
Counsel for Motor City Muckraker
Detroit's Broken Fire Hydrants
After the City of Detroit withheld records of broken fire hydrants, Ralph sued under Michigan's FOIA. The city released more than 1,000 records, revealing it had vastly understated the problem, and agreed to pay attorney fees.
- 2013
Cooperating attorney, ACLU of Michigan
Detroit Public Schools Discipline Data
Ralph helped sue Detroit Public Schools to obtain data on suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement as part of work confronting the “school-to-prison pipeline,” forcing the district to hand over critical disciplinary records.
- Ongoing
ACLU of Michigan efforts
Police Mapping & Task-Force Raids
Ralph has provided legal counsel in efforts to obtain information about multi-agency task-force raids and Detroit police contracts, pulling public-safety practices into public view.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future matter.
Who Ralph Helps
For the people government would rather not answer.
Journalists & Newsrooms
Get the records your story needs. Ralph litigates records denials and delays so reporting on public agencies can move forward.
Citizens & Activists
Hit a wall of excessive fees, redactions, or silence? You have a right to public information, and a lawyer who enforces it.
Community Organizations
Nonprofits and neighborhood groups seeking transparency from cities, schools, and police can use FOIA to make change with facts.
FOIA Help
How Michigan's FOIA works.
Michigan's Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to inspect and copy most records held by state and local government. Here's the short version, and where a lawyer helps.
Talk through your situationThis page is general information, not legal advice.
- 01
Make the request
A FOIA request asks a Michigan public body for specific records. The agency generally has five business days to respond (with one extension allowed).
- 02
Watch for the usual hurdles
Agencies often delay, over-redact, or quote excessive search-and-copy fees to discourage requesters. Many of these tactics can be challenged.
- 03
Appeal or sue
A denial can be appealed to the agency head and, if needed, taken to court. When a requester prevails, Michigan's FOIA allows recovery of costs and fees.
In the News
“The purpose of FOIA is to provide full and complete information regarding the official acts of those who represent them as public officials and public employees.”
Open Government Law
Ralph Simpson · Attorney
Contact
Records being withheld? Let's talk.
Reach out to discuss a denied request, a transparency dispute, or a public-records matter anywhere in Michigan.
Contacting Ralph Simpson does not create an attorney–client relationship, and nothing on this site is legal advice.
Phone
(313) 555-0100Email
info@opengovernmentlaw.comService area
State of Michigan · Based in Detroit, Michigan
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