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.
Articles by jroberts
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.
Court asked to decide whether Denver mayor properly withheld records about housing advisory committee
A Denver resident is suing Mayor Michael Hancock and the city over the withholding of records about an advisory group formed to examine single-family housing rules.
CFOIC’s holiday wish list
All we want for Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanzaa (besides world peace, an end to the pandemic and less partisan rancor) are better open-government laws for Coloradans.
Sen. Bennet looks for a federal solution to reinvigorate local news
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet discussed his proposed Future of Local News Commission Act during a Zoom call with Colorado journalists, saying he shudders to think about what the diminishment of local journalism is doing to American democracy.
Can a home-rule city’s charter override the Colorado Open Meetings Law?
When the Fort Collins City Council went into an executive session Oct. 20, the announced purpose was to discuss “broadband issues,” a topic not expressly authorized in the Colorado Open Meetings Law for closed-door deliberations.
Court of Appeals: Colorado ethics commission not subject to CORA or state open meetings law
Neither the Colorado Open Records Act nor the Colorado Open Meetings Law applies to the constitutionally created state commission that investigates allegations of ethical misconduct involving public officials, the Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled.
CFOIC report: It’s time to reevaluate CORA’s ‘unbalanced’ research-and-retrieval fee provision
This may come as a surprise to Coloradans who have been quoted hundreds or thousands of dollars by cities, state agencies, school districts and other government entities for “research and retrieval” in response to their public records requests: Not every state allows such charges.
Secrecy abounds for voters in judicial retention
We didn’t think our story would be an open-and-shut case. Neither did we expect such secrecy from a governmental branch whose purpose is to oversee the implementation of laws and enforce them.