A big helping of open-government resources
Check out the CFOIC’s new Resource pages, which include guides to accessing public information and a categorized directory of public data available online.
Blog
Jeffco PTA president: School board violates state transparency law
The president of the Jefferson County PTA says her organization is “shocked and appalled” that three new memers of the Jeffco Board of Education hired an attorney without involving other members of the board.
Does court ruling on AG consumer complaints have broader implications?
A court decision last week that let the Colorado Attorney General turn over consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau, but not to a Denver TV news organization, may have broader implications for the release of public records.
The true value of FOI
A Gazette investigation into a secret spy program at the Air Force Academy was one of three recent news stories that had nothing in common, except the vitally important fact that none could have been reported in such detail, or perhaps even reported at all, without the state and federal laws that ensure your rights of access to public information.
Judge rejects secrecy motion in Aurora movie theater shooting case
Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos A. Samour, Jr. denies motion by James Holmes’ attorneys to seal transcripts of proceedings and remove access to pleadings from the court’s website. The CFOIC had opposed Holmes’s request.
Journalist sues Archuleta County commissioner over secret meeting and loses, but would “gladly do the same thing again”
Bill Hudson, publisher of an online community magazine, is out nearly $1,500 after his lawsuit was dismissed. Did the county attorney mislead the court over the actual cost of his legal research in the case?
Littleton voters restrict City Council’s use of closed-door meetings
A city charter amendment, which passed with 74 percent of the vote Nov. 5, is much more restrictive than the Colorado Sunshine Law. It allows the City Council to meet behind closed doors for only two reasons.
Leadville newspaper explains why it’s suing the Lake County Commission
Because an “emergency executive session” of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners was held with no notice and because there was no true emergency, the Herald Democrat considers the meeting to be illegal.
When public information is not public
A Conifer woman learned recently that open records aren’t necessarily open in Colorado when public and private information are mixed together. The law is different in some other states.
Reporters Committee, CFOIC ask court to reject James Holmes’ motion to restrict access to pleadings
Restricting access to court records in the Aurora movie theater shooting case would impair the public’s understanding of issues of national importance involving violence and mental health, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press argues in a letter co-signed by the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.