Forging a Career in Open Records Law: On Record PR
Florida Public Records Laws: Avoiding Pitfalls and Mistakes that Lead to Expensive and Costly Litigation
AGG Talks: Background Screening - Redaction of Identifiers by the Courts Update, Breaking News from California
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 296: Listen and Learn -- Hearsay Exceptions: Government and Business Records
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 132: Listen and Learn -- Hearsay Exceptions: Government and Business Records
[WEBINAR] Exploring the CPRA’s Investigatory Privilege
[WEBINAR] Update: Social Media Meets the First Amendment
[WEBINAR] Social Media Meets the First Amendment
[WEBINAR] Public Records Act - Taming the Email Tiger
[WEBINAR] The Public Records Act - Taming the Email Tiger
Can Virginia Block Non-Residents from FOIA Requests? Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments
Since 1967, the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public with the right to access records or information from any federal agency, except those records protected under legal exemptions. Each state has...more
The ability to petition one’s leaders is long recognized regardless of the form of government. Ever since the Watergate Scandal, the United States has taken the lead on transparency in governmental acts and the interaction...more
The Illinois Appellate Court recently issued a new decision regarding the FOIA. In Kraft v. Chicago Police Department, the Court ruled in favor of the police department, finding it properly exempted records as unduly...more
Are courts making it impossible to guarantee trade secrets will not be disclosed upon filing of litigation? In a recent case, Binh Hoa Le v. Exeter Fin. Corp., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (covering...more
PATENT CASE OF THE WEEK - Uniloc 2017 LLC v. Apple, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2019-1922, -1923, -1925, -1926 (Fed. Cir. July 9, 2020) - This week’s case of the week focuses, not on a patent issue, but on a procedural issue common...more
Where parties seek to keep certain documents they have filed under seal and out of the public eye, the Business Court now requires proof that disclosing the information would harm the parties or others before it will agree to...more
On February 19, 2020, the New Jersey Appellate Division issued a decision Digital First Media v. Ewing Township permitting a newspaper access under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA) to Use of Force Reports (UFR)...more
Police Records Must Be Disclosed Even if Created or Officer Employed By Different Agency, California Appellate Court Says - The California Attorney General and Department of Justice must disclose all police misconduct...more
A recent Illinois Appellate Court decision raises interesting questions about how provisions protecting “private information” in open records laws should be interpreted in a world in which a vast wealth of information about...more
In an a recently published opinion, the Ninth Circuit answered the question whether “LinkedIn, the professional networking website, [may] prevent a competitor, hiQ, from collecting and using information that LinkedIn users...more
The flurry of activity surrounding the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) and Open Meetings Act (“OMA”) continues. An Illinois Appellate Court once again reviewed whether grand jury records may be disclosed under...more
In the first decision by a higher court on a controversial new law that makes some police personnel records available under the Public Records Act, a California appellate court ruled that Senate Bill 1421 applies to records...more
A recent California appellate court decision underscores the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege — holding that even an in camera review of claimed privileged communications is not permitted. This applies even though a...more
A city’s ability to access electronically stored data does not equal possession of that data under the Public Records Act, a California appellate court recently ruled....more
A recent Illinois Appellate Court decision provides welcome support to a school district or other public body faced with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that is more akin to a “fishing expedition” than a targeted...more
Landmark ruling requires the European Commission to disclose impact assessments used as a basis for its legislative decision-making process. The Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union recently issued a...more
The State Bar of California does not have to create records to fulfill a request for bar applicant data under the Public Records Act, an appellate court decided. ...more
Recently, an Illinois Court of Appeals issued a decision mandating disclosure of assessment records from the Cook County Assessor’s Office to the Chicago Tribune under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”)....more
On May 16, 2018, the Appellate Division approved for publication a decision ruling that citizens from states outside New Jersey also have standing to obtain New Jersey’s public records under the Open Public Records Act...more
In Pasadena Police Officers Association v. City of Pasadena, the Second District Court of Appeal made an interesting observation about the effect of the Public Records Act’s time requirement for a response to a PRA request...more
A recent decision from a Dane County trial court has opened the door for new guidance on providing electronic copies of public records to local news media. In a recent decision, a Dane County judge held that a state lawmaker...more
A recent case in Florida is a reminder that when dealing with government entities, trade secrets may be disclosed to the public, especially if that information has been aggregated. ...more
In a lengthy, published opinion, the New Jersey Appellate Division recently ruled on four appeals from different trial courts (that had reached conflicting results) about the ability of a nonprofit advocacy organization for...more
A public body must respond to a FOIA request within five days, but the Michigan Court of Appeals has opined that there is no obligation to produce the requested information within that timeframe. In a June 23, 2016,...more
The Fifth District Court of Appeal heard oral argument today on the issue of whether the records of the Economic Development Commission of Brevard County are subject to public inspection. The lower court ruled that such...more