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
The College of Patent Agents & Trademark Agents (CPATA) recently issued an alert regarding a surge in fraudulent emails targeting trademark owners. As is typical of these “phishing” scams, the emails often pressure recipients...more
One of the many worries that I have as a school attorney is when school board members use their e-mail account to discuss board business. As you may know, such conduct can run afoul of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information...more
In Pa. Office of the Governor v. Brelje, 2024 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 65, at *1 (Commw. Ct. Feb. 23, 2024), the Office of Open Records (“OOR”) concluded that requests for all incoming and outgoing email for two agency employees over...more
Methacton Sch. Dist. v. Off. of Open Records of Cmmw., 250 C.D. 2021, 2021 WL 6122163, at *1 (Pa. Cmmw. Dec. 28, 2021). The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania holds that a request for the emails of four individuals over a...more
Takeaways From Unprecedented Public Records Ruling in Getz v. County of El Dorado - The Third District Court of Appeal recently ruled in favor of a requester who was seeking public records from the County of El Dorado,...more
Requesters Must Post an Undertaking if Public Agency Will Suffer Certain Damages During Injunction Proceedings - A California Public Records Act appellate court decision may require requesters to post an undertaking to...more
Last week, the Illinois Appellate Court issued three separate opinions addressing the scope of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The opinions provide additional guidance related to what constitutes a reasonable...more
Arkansas schools often face parent requests to see all the school’s documents and emails about their child. Schools may wonder whether a parent has a right to such sweeping information. Federal law gives parents the right...more
In Maciejewski v. Southern Columbia Area School District, AP 2019-1094 (Sept 16, 2019), the Request sought all emails between 10 District email addresses over a 14-day time frame. The District argued that certain responsive...more
In Ruland v. Southern York County School District, AP 2019-0567 (Aug. 8, 2019), the OOR concluded that, in certain circumstances, emails from community members to an agency can be public records. In this case, the...more
ARC’s Christine Wood Discusses Calif. Public Records Act Updates in Riverside Lawyer Magazine - A public agency’s release of public records is a hot button issue for policy wonks, community advocates and conspiracy...more
We’ve addressed whether RTKL request are sufficiently specific before, but it’s worth reexamining the issue again in the context of requests for electronic correspondence because requesters frequently make broad requests for...more
As previously discussed, records in possession of a local agency are presumed public unless they are exempt under or protected by: 1) the RTKL exceptions set forth in Section 708; 2) other laws; 3) privilege; or 4) judicial...more
Since a 2013 Illinois Appellate Court decision, City of Champaign v. Madigan, Illinois public bodies have known that three categories of emails and text messages sent to or from personal technology devices are “public...more
When does a public employee’s personal privacy interests outweigh the public’s right to access records? Originally Published in PublicCEO - July 18,2018....more
In this webinar, Best Best & Krieger LLP attorney Christine Wood explains how public agencies can create an email retention policy that helps reduce PRA production costs. This webinar covers the basics of a good email...more
The Open Meetings Act (OMA) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cover the communications of board members and other public officials when conducting public business. While the laws have a long reach, granting the public...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
In part 1 of this two-part series we discussed how the City of San Jose v. Superior Court (Smith) will forever change the nature of public service. In part 2, we will offer practical suggestions to respond to this change. ...more
In part 1 of this two-part series we’ll discuss how the City of San Jose v. Superior Court (Smith) will forever change the nature of public service. In part 2, we will offer practical suggestions to respond to this change. ...more
In City of San Jose v. Superior Court, No. S218066 (Cal. Mar. 2, 2017), the Supreme Court of California decided unanimously that communications made or stored on a public employee's personal account, including emails sent...more
Recent legal decisions continue to blur the line between private communications and public records, extending the reach of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Because of these shifts, proactive government officials are...more
Is Your Police Department Ready for Body Cameras? - Police use of force has been heavily scrutinized for more than a year. In May 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it was providing $20 million in grants...more
On July 5, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an important ruling interpreting the reach ofemail. the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the case of Competitive Enterprise...more
Personal Documents Stored on a Government Computer System — Disclosable Under Illinois' FOIA? Not all documents created or stored on a government computer system are subject to disclosure under Illinois' Freedom of...more