Real estate records, with few exceptions, are public in Colorado. But in Elbert County, southeast of Denver, the assessment records of certain elected officials – including Assessor Billie Mills – are hidden from public view.
Sick-leave records do not qualify as personnel or medical information that must be withheld from the public under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), a judge ruled, dismissing a lawsuit brought by the Jefferson County teachers’ union against the Jeffco school district.
In a ruling that could have implications for a new preemptive lawsuit filed by the state against Colorado Ethics Watch, the Colorado Supreme Court held that successfully challenging a denial of public records entitles you to attorney fees even if it was the records custodian who initiated the legal action.
A new edition of the “Sunshine Laws” guide, revised for 2015, is now available for download as a pdf. Produced by the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition and the Colorado Press Association, this 18-page reference booklet is an essential overview of Colorado’s open meetings and open records laws.
Lawyers for the Jefferson County School District and the Jeffco teachers’ union squared off in court over whether additional names of high school teachers who collectively called in sick last fall should be made public under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA).
New rules governing access to financial and administrative records of the Colorado Judicial Branch will quietly go into effect under an interim directive issued by Chief Justice Nancy Rice of the Colorado Supreme Court.
Unlike last year’s General Assembly, which amended both the open-records and open-meetings laws, state legislators in 2015 were somewhat quieter on matters affecting government transparency and the flow of information in Colorado. Still, significant new measures are expected to be signed into law. A few others didn’t make it.
A Denver District Court judge admonished the Denver Department of Safety for its “blanket policy” of denying requests for records of internal affairs investigations until all matters in a case are completely resolved.
The Senate Local Government Committee unanimously endorsed a bill intended to shield state agency whistleblowers, despite fears from officials of several state government departments that it would make confidential information more vulnerable to security breaches.
Following measured but heart-wrenching testimony from the parents of slain Arapahoe High student Claire Davis, a Senate committee endorsed a bill to limit school district immunity and encourage the flow of information on events leading up to violent school incidents.
