In this suit testing the enforcement powers in the D.C. Open Meetings Act, Superior Court Judge John Campbell heard argument last Friday (28) on pending motions from both sides for summary judgment (decision without a trial). The hearing was the first time the parties squared off in court.
The Office of Open Government (OOG) is part of the District government but, to avoid conflict of interest were the D.C. Attorney General to represent both the Office and the commission being sued, the Office is represented by pro bono counsel from the D.C. law firm of Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP.
The court made no rulings.
The OOG brought suit against the D.C. mayor's Caribbean Community Affairs Commission, alleging it held meetings without posting public notices or publishing minutes afterwards. Filed in October 2016, the case is the first court action by the Office, an independent agency created by the D.C. Council in the 2011 Act to be the enforcement watchdog.