An ongoing disagreement between the Daily Press and the state Supreme Court effectively illustrates both the value and limitations of Virginia's Freedom of Information Act.
The state Freedom of Information Advisory Council, which mediates disputes over the law, recently sided with the newspaper that a compilation of case information maintained by the court should be available to the public.
However, the decision only lends muscle to our argument. It does not compel the Supreme Court's Office of the Executive Secretary, with whom we've be tussling, to release the record. And the law doesn't have teeth so public officials who knowingly and deliberately flout FOIA requirements go unpunished. Continue>>>
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