General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Wow... George Orwell Would Be Proud... The "Free Flow" Of Information Act... [View all]MFrohike
(1,980 posts)Preponderance is more likely true than not. Clear and convincing is the higher standard. Compelling is the level of interest the government has to show in strict scrutiny cases.
The issue here isn't when it comes into play, which is irrelevant to my comments above, but that when it does, the burden of proof is on the covered person instead of the government, who is actually seeking the information. The standard to reach that point is essentially "reasonable grounds" which might as well be the "government feels like it." Reasonable grounds is analogous to reasonable suspicion, which is about shin-high. So, if the judge takes the government's arguments at face value, the covered person will likely have to meet a burden that isn't far short of a criminal trial. If that's not a presumption, I'd be real curious to hear your definition of one.