Here’s why the cost of a statewide CoCourts search just went up 43 percent
Some Colorado journalists were surprised and disappointed in early January to see that the fee for a statewide search on CoCourts.com had jumped from $7 to $10.
Articles by jroberts
Why doesn’t Colorado’s disclosure law cover every elected official? ‘I think it was an oversight.’
The RTD board’s bylaws do require that each member file a financial interest disclosure form with the district. But the agency initially denied my request for copies of those forms, citing the personnel files exemption in the Colorado Open Records Act.
Groups urge greater transparency, public access at legislature
On Jan. 15, Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, Colorado Capitol Press Association, Colorado Press Association, Colorado Broadcasters Association, Colorado News Collaborative, Society of Professional Journalists…
Zansberg: A status report on public access to police body-worn camera recordings
An unarmed Black man is brutally murdered by police, who are utterly indifferent to his repeated pleas for restraint. First the people in that city, then across the nation (and, eventually, across the globe) take to the streets. They demand justice. They demand accountability. And they call upon the police, not only in that city but across the nation, to reform their practices, to eliminate racial profiling and overly aggressive militaristic responses, and to become more transparent — including by publicly releasing body-worn camera recordings of police-public confrontations.
Withheld records about Denver housing advisory committee do not reveal ‘give and take’ and must be disclosed, judge rules
A judge ordered Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s office to publicly disclose all but four pages of withheld emails about an advisory group formed to examine single-family housing rules.
Judge: Summit school board convened closed meeting without a proper vote
A judge recently ordered the public disclosure of a school board executive session recording because board members did not take an “affirmative vote” before convening the private online meeting, as the Colorado Open Meetings Law requires.
CFOIC, journalist groups urge Colorado Judicial Branch to retain free, online access to civil court records
Free remote access to civil court records for all Coloradans has been a rare positive outgrowth of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we applaud the Colorado Judicial Branch for taking that important step.
CFOIC’s 2020 year in review: coronavirus records, CORA costs, body cam footage, judicial secrecy
COVID-19 touched nearly every aspect of our lives in 2020 so of course it affected government transparency and public access to courts in Colorado.
New judicial branch standard for sealing or suppressing criminal court records ‘increases transparency and builds public trust’
The Colorado Supreme Court’s adoption of a statewide standard for sealing and suppressing court records in criminal cases “is an extremely positive development that increases transparency and builds public trust in our judicial branch,” said Steve Zansberg, a First Amendment attorney and president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.
News site’s lawsuit seeks records of company that manages sports licensing for CU Boulder
Records of the company managing the University of Colorado Boulder’s sports licensing and sponsorship agreements should be open for public inspection, the owner of a college sports news organization contends in a lawsuit.