Newsflash: Rockweed Not a Fish
On November 18, 2024, in an opinion authored by Judge Vitter, a Fifth Circuit panel made up of Judges Wilson, Douglas, and Vitter upheld a district court’s ruling temporarily enjoining Caldwell County’s policy of...more
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and similar open records acts allow the public access to records under the control of governmental agencies. These access rights state that public information shall be delivered within a...more
MAKING THE WHOLE TRUTH PUBLIC: THE FIGHT TO RELEASE BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE IN SECTION 1983 LITIGATION - Body-worn cameras were heralded as a promising innovation in the fight against crime and police misconduct. But in...more
In a decision applauded by citizens of the City of Chicago and its leadership, the Illinois Supreme Court found that a provision in the collective bargaining agreement between the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge No....more
California Public Records Act Provision Permitting Public Agencies to Charge for “Extraction” Analyzed - Government agencies are prohibited from charging a fee to redact police body camera footage in response to a...more
BB&K's Christine Wood Gives Updates on AB 748 and SB 1421 in PublicCEO - Now, more than ever, Californians have greater access to police personnel records, body and dashboard camera footage and other recordings acquired by...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The regulated community had a pleasant surprise from President Trump this week. The President issued two executive orders that have the stated intent to make closeted or last minute agency guidance and...more
On March 4, 2019, the final Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (Public Release of Clinical Information) and Regulations Amending the Medical Devices Regulations (Public Release of Clinical Information)...more
Senate Bill 1421 affords the public access to police personnel records related to reports, investigations and findings, via the California Public Records Act process (not the familiar Pitchess process)....more
The City of Long Beach has hired Best Best & Krieger LLP Of Counsel Gary Schons to conduct an independent investigation into the Long Beach Police Department’s use of a controversial communications app. TigerText, which...more
The California public will have a greater right to access police body camera footage, and any other audio or video recording acquired by any police agency or state prosecution office, under the Public Records Act with the...more
The California Supreme Court recently denied considering an appellate court ruling from a case in Eureka that police arrest videos cannot be considered confidential officer personnel records and therefore kept from public...more
BB&K attorney Gary Schons examines police body cameras from a variety of angles for the California District Attorneys Association’s Prosecutor’s Brief. The use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officials and what...more
A recent Chicago Tribune editorial, “The burden of transparency” asks a provocative question: does the unduly burdensome exemption in the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allow an unfair loophole for public bodies...more