DE Under 3: Behind the Scenes of EEOC’s Full Commission Hearing
Government in the Virtual World: A Look at Public Meetings and Hearings
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
Public bodies rejoiced over the Ohio Supreme Court’s opinion in State of Ohio ex rel. Christopher Hicks v. Clermont County Board of Commissioners this past holiday season. The largely contentious case drew statewide attention...more
The Open Meetings Act (“OMA”) requires Ohio’s public entities to conduct all deliberations and make all decisions in meetings that are open to the public. However, a public body can meet in executive session to discuss...more
On February 4, 2022, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel opined that the Americans with Disabilities Act (the "ADA") requires public bodies to afford an individual with a disability a reasonable accommodation to participate...more
New Law Permits Local Governments to Continue to Meet Remotely Until 2024 - California’s historic open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires that local governments conduct their business in public meetings and...more
On September 2, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation (S.50001/A.40001), which includes a number of statutory protections and other emergency public health measures adopted in response to the recent increase in the...more
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 16, 2020, at the Attorney General’s request, Governor Greg Abbott utilized Section 418.016 of the Government Code to suspend certain requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act...more
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of public entities had to continue. Amended Substitute House Bill 197 made that possible, by modifying the requirements of R.C. 121.22 to permit public bodies to meet by...more
PRE-DECISIONAL & DELIBERATIVE PROCESS UPDATES U.S. - SUPREME COURT DECISION - On March 4, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in United States Fish and Wildlife Service v. Sierra Club addressing the “deliberative...more
On March 30, 2021, the authority for Michigan public bodies to hold electronic "virtual" meetings for any reason under the Michigan Open Meetings Act ("OMA") expired. Thus, starting on March 31, 2021, and continuing until...more
On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, the Michigan Legislature adopted amendments to the Open Meetings Act (the "OMA"), which would have immediate effect upon signature by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Senate Bill 1108...more
On Friday, June 12, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Public Act 101-640,?which, among other things, amends the Open Meetings Act to allow public bodies to hold virtual board meetings without the physical presence of a...more
A popular topic on this blog is standing in the context of a challenge to a municipal determination, primarily under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. A recent case issued by the Appellate Division, Second...more
The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor was once again busy during 2019, issuing binding decisions of interest to public entities governed by the Illinois Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act....more
While the Ralph M. Brown Act provides a “committee exception” to the public comment requirement for public entities’ regular meetings, the exception does not apply to special meetings, a California appellate court said in a...more
In a recent nonbinding letter, the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor reportedly requested that public boards allow members of the public to speak about concerns with the conduct of specific board members. ...more
Public entities can place reasonable time restrictions on public comment at their meetings as long as the time restrictions do not violate state or federal law, a California appellate court said in a fairly sweeping decision....more
Public agencies often secure opinions from legal counsel to guide their actions. However, these agencies should be aware that what they say in public about the advice given may jeopardize the confidentiality of the legal...more
On June 7th, 2014, I had the good fortune of being the guest on Focus on Connecticut, which is a weekly, half-hour public affairs show on “News 12 Connecticut.” The show is hosted by Tom Appleby, a veteran news journalist in...more
The South Carolina Supreme Court recently issued an opinion in Lambries v Saluda County Council. The high court ruled that nothing in the Freedom of Information Act prohibits a public body from adding an agenda item(s)...more