March 18, 2023

Open records tips from a government accountability reporter: ‘Let the correspondence tell the tale’ (National Press Club Journalism Institute)

National Press Club Journalism Institute: Open records tips from a government accountability reporter: ‘Let the correspondence tell the tale’ . “It is Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information launched by the News Leaders Association in 2005. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve asked journalists across different beats to share their tips for requesting open records and responding when facing roadblocks to access.”

Useful Stuff 0
February 18, 2023

KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception

KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception. “After reports that Collin County Constable Joe Wright’s name had appeared on a membership list for an antigovernment extremist group, KERA government accountability reporter Caroline Love wanted to find out more about him. She obtained records from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office — where Wright had once worked — only after a lengthy open records battle. We asked her to find out if her experiences are symptomatic of a bigger problem.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
July 4, 2022

KPVI: Open records bill would mean major changes for Pennsylvania ‘state related’ universities

KPVI: Open records bill would mean major changes for Pennsylvania ‘state related’ universities. “Senate Bill 488 would require state-related universities (University of Pittsburgh and Temple, Penn State, and Lincoln universities) to disclose salary, budget, and contract information in a user-friendly online database. Donor privacy would be unaffected and remain confidential. The bill passed first consideration in the Senate State Government Committee on Tuesday. If it’s signed into law, it would align Pennsylvania’s transparency rules with the majority of other states.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
June 2, 2022

Above the Law: Free PACER Searches Coming! Federal Judiciary Boldly Steps Into Early 2000s!

Above the Law: Free PACER Searches Coming! Federal Judiciary Boldly Steps Into Early 2000s!. “Move over “Free Hugs,” there’s a new slogan capturing the hearts and minds of America’s youth: ‘Free PACER Searches.’ Probably not, but work with me here.” A much more cynical assessment than Reuters that will scissor-kick your welling bubble of open records happiness.

Tweaks & Updates 0
March 12, 2022

Washington Post: Va. seeks records law change to require victim notification before releasing crime files

Washington Post: Va. seeks records law change to require victim notification before releasing crime files. “The Virginia General Assembly is preparing to change the state’s open records laws again, removing a recent provision that required police and prosecutors to release closed files to any requester. The changes would also require crime victims to be notified whenever law enforcement is inclined to release a report in open or closed criminal cases.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
January 25, 2022

Texas Tribune: Attorney General Ken Paxton defies county official’s order to release records related to Jan. 6 Trump rally

Texas Tribune: Attorney General Ken Paxton defies county official’s order to release records related to Jan. 6 Trump rally. “Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Travis County district attorney’s determination that Paxton violated open records laws by withholding information related to his trip to Washington, D.C., on the day of the Capitol insurrection was ‘meritless’ and that his office had fulfilled its obligation under the law.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
January 17, 2022

Houston Chronicle: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton violated open records law, says Travis County DA

Houston Chronicle: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton violated open records law, says Travis County DA. “The Travis County district attorney has determined that Attorney General Ken Paxton violated the state’s open records law by not turning over his communications from last January, when he appeared at the pro-Trump rally that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The district attorney gave Paxton four days to remedy the issue or face a lawsuit.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
January 11, 2022

Missouri Independent: Governor looks to target Missouri Sunshine Law during legislative session

Missouri Independent: Governor looks to target Missouri Sunshine Law during legislative session. “Amending Missouri’s open records law to permit government agencies to withhold more information from the public — and charge more for any records that are turned over — is among Gov. Mike Parson’s priorities for the 2022 legislative session. The changes, which were outlined in a presentation to Parson’s cabinet that was obtained by The Independent through an open records request, include a proposal to allow government agencies to charge fees for the time attorneys spend reviewing records requested by the public.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 22, 2021

Politico: Wrangling over Jan. 6 footage could force open congressional records

Politico: Wrangling over Jan. 6 footage could force open congressional records. “Past efforts to use the courts to force disclosure of congressional records like the videos have gotten little traction, but the Jan. 6-related case seizes on an opinion a D.C. Circuit judge issued in June. The new legal fight has the potential to set a new precedent for what kinds of information Congress must disclose, and when — and is squarely aimed at upending decades of law that shielded the institution from public scrutiny.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 20, 2021

Appeals court: Senate, Cyber Ninjas must produce ‘audit’ records immediately (Arizona Mirror)

Arizona Mirror: Appeals court: Senate, Cyber Ninjas must produce ‘audit’ records immediately. “The state Senate can’t duck Arizona’s public records law because some records were created by and are in possession of Cyber Ninjas, the company that GOP legislative leaders hired to conduct a so-called ‘audit’ of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. That means the Senate must immediately turn over a bevy of documents requested by American Oversight, a liberal watchdog organization.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 19, 2021

Lawsuit: Iowa governor’s office violating open records law (AP)

AP: Lawsuit: Iowa governor’s office violating open records law. “Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office is illegally delaying the release of public records related to its $26 million, no-bid coronavirus testing contract, a new lawsuit contends. Reynolds and her office’s public records custodian, attorney Michael Boal, are the latest officials to be accused of violating open records laws by a Utah-based company investigating testing programs in several states.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
August 17, 2021

NC Supreme Court: NC Railroad, owned by state, can keep records secret (WRAL)

WRAL: NC Supreme Court: NC Railroad, owned by state, can keep records secret. “The North Carolina Railroad Company, which the state of North Carolina owns, doesn’t have to provide records to the public under the state’s open records law, a divided state Supreme Court ruled Friday. The decision, in Southern Environmental Law Center v. N.C. Railroad, upheld a lower court’s ruling.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
November 10, 2020

LAWSUIT VICTORY: UCLA admits to violating the law after stonewalling open records request for over a year (FIRE)

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE): LAWSUIT VICTORY: UCLA admits to violating the law after stonewalling open records request for over a year. “It took 404 days, five extensions, and a lawsuit for the University of California, Los Angeles to fulfill a single open records request. Today, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education announces a victory in the lawsuit — filed to remind UCLA and public institutions around the country that they have a moral and legal obligation to fulfill public records requests.”

Security & Legal Issues 0

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