executive sessions
Closed legislative deliberations
Executive sessions are closed meetings from which the public and sometimes regular staff are excluded.
Legislative committees hold executive sessions to discuss sensitive matters—personnel issues, legal strategy, or classified information.
Corporate boards use the term for portions of meetings where only directors convene, without management present: The board went into executive session to discuss the CEO's compensation.
The phrase implies confidentiality and deliberation away from ordinary scrutiny.
- boardroomCorporate decision venue
- board meetingFormal executive gathering
- nondisclosureConcealment of information
- need to knowRestricted information access basis
- confidential informationPrivate data requiring discretion
committee · minutes · agenda · secrecy · table · bylaws · closed-door · behind closed doors · compliance · leadership · council · off-the-record · adjournment · classified · vote · in camera · smoke-filled room · deliberation
- hearingscongressional hearing, congressional hearings, committee hearing, confirmation hearing, public hearings
- Senatesenate seat, Senate floor, senior senator, Senate chamber, confirmation hearings
- bylawsarticles, voting, clause, membership, provision
- Congressional Documentscommittee reports, congressional inquiries, minority reports, investigative reports, committee findings
- summitspeak, summit, summits, apex, pinnacle
- government transparencyFOIA, freedom of information, sunshine laws, public records, open data
executive sessionsopen hearings
Sessions accessible to all
public hearings · public meetings · open meetings · town halls · public forums
executive, session, execute, execution, executor, executioner, executing, executed, executes