[JURIST] US District Judge Ricardo Urbina has ordered the Secret Service [official website] to release visitor logs for the personal residence and office of Vice-President Dick Cheney [JURIST news archive]. In his ruling Wednesday, Urbina gave the Bush Administration until next week to either release the records or provide a reason why they are being withheld. The order was issued following a lawsuit by the Washington Post [media website] who requested the logs in June while researching White House ties to political lobbyists. The request also included visitor logs for Cheney's legal counsel, chief spokesman, and other top aides. The government has argued that the logs are protected by executive privilege.

In a separate lawsuit [AP report] filed in September by watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [advocacy website], White House records showed over 100 meetings involving administration officials and Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed, Republican activists tied to the Jack Abramoff scandal [JURIST news archive]. AP has more.