State Supreme Court – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Gun group wins lawsuit against NY to disclose gun records

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A state Supreme Court judge has ruled that the state needs to make public statistical information on the number of assault weapons registered in New York.

The April 30 ruling was disclosed today by the Shooters Committee on Public Education, a gun-rights group that sued last year after the state refused to release the details. State Police claimed the information was not public under a gun-control law passed in January 2013.

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Editorial: Let’s demand accountability from our courts

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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.

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Court: Arbitrators outside Freedom of Info law

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The state Supreme Court has ruled that arbitrators are not covered by the state’s Freedom of Information laws, denying the public’s right to know what evidence is presented in arbitration hearings between teacher unions and school boards.

The Republican-American reports (http://bit.ly/1uuGtn8 ) that the case stems from a 2010 arbitration hearing between the Torrington Education Association and Torrington Board of Education.

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SC Supreme Court ruling shows weakness of open government law

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The S.C. Supreme Court decided last week that government bodies don’t have to let you know what they’re planning to do. The court ruled that bodies like school boards, county councils and city councils can hold regular meetings without ever issuing an agenda, and if they do issue an agenda, they can change it on the fly and depart from it at will.

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ONA: Open records ruling a major setback

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Two Ohio Supreme Court decisions denying attorney fees to a woman who fought the city of South Euclid for public records represent major setbacks to the cause of open government in Ohio, according to the Ohio Newspaper Association.

“This is an egregious case,” said Dennis Hetzel, executive director of the ONA. “The city stonewalled the citizen requesting the information for months, and she even had to get an accountant to show that records the city claimed it didn’t have really existed.”

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