Flesor: Waiting for better access to Colorado courts
For those without a LexisNexis login, the courts can be shockingly opaque sometimes.
Court Records
Federal judge: No reason to close records and proceedings in civil case against Colorado Springs YMCA
A federal judge has denied a motion by the Colorado Springs YMCA to close court proceedings and records in a lawsuit brought by a former employee who alleges she was sexually assaulted by a higher-ranking employee.
Colorado Public Radio and CFOIC object to proposed closure of civil case against Colorado Springs YMCA
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition joined Colorado Public Radio and a UCLA law professor in objecting to the proposed closure of court proceedings and records in a federal lawsuit brought against the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region.
Court secrecy, a handcuffed journalist, ‘Access Denied’: CFOIC’s year-in-review 2018
Two words come to mind when looking back at 2018’s government transparency highlights and lowlights in Colorado. Judicial secrecy.
CFOIC, news organizations file brief supporting The Colorado Independent’s SCOTUS petition
A brief filed by the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and several news and journalism organizations asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a First Amendment records case, deemed “vital to Colorado journalism,” that was brought by The Colorado Independent.
Masking of court records hinders legal assistance for low-income Coloradans, nonprofit says
Colorado court officials, still working to address case suppression issues raised by recent stories in The Denver Post, were briefed about another records-access problem affecting a nonprofit’s ability to provide legal services to low-income Coloradans.
How a Colorado Supreme Court ruling affects the public’s right to inspect judicial records
By ruling that the First Amendment provides no protection for the public’s right to inspect judicial records, the Colorado Supreme Court confounded some legal experts who worry about the decision’s impact on access to court files in Colorado.
Judicial committee revives CFOIC’s proposed standard for sealing criminal court records
There is new life for CFOIC’s proposal to set a uniform statewide standard for sealing criminal court files in Colorado.
Modernizing CORA, Ralphie’s whereabouts and ‘a shot of tequila’: CFOIC looks back at 2017
In a year that featured plenty of freedom-of-information lowlights, Colorado lawmakers in 2017 provided a welcome ray of sunshine – a helpful new tool in the never-ending quest for government transparency. Senate Bill 17-040, which modernized the Colorado Open Records Act, was one of many topics featured on CFOIC’s blog and news feed in 2017.
Uniform standard for sealing criminal court records not needed, judicial committee says
In a terse letter, a committee of the Colorado Supreme Court has rejected CFOIC’s call for a uniform standard for sealing court files in criminal cases. More than a year ago, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition asked the state court system to adopt such a rule, noting that disputes over the closure of records in high-profile criminal cases often focus not just on whether records should be sealed, but on the appropriate legal standard to apply in making that determination.