Pro bono legal help for local journalism in Colorado is coming soon
News organizations in Colorado will soon get some extra legal firepower to fight wrongful denials of access to government records and proceedings.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Brief asks 10th Circuit to affirm the public’s First Amendment right to record police
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition joined other organizations in urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit to affirm the public’s First Amendment right to record police.
Judge: Oil company’s libel lawsuit against Paonia environmental activist was ‘a form of retaliation’
A judge has ordered a Texas-based oil and gas company to pay attorney fees to a Paonia environmental activist whom it sued for libel after he posted a critical comment on the website of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.
Despite what a police officer said, the editor of The Colorado Independent didn’t violate HIPAA
HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, enacted by Congress in 1996. The law’s privacy rules, designed to protect the confidential health information of patients, often are misunderstood and misapplied, and that certainly seems to be the case with the July 5 detention of Greene near the state Capitol, according to legal experts.
CFOIC and media consortium ask judge to unseal court records in Owens death-penalty case
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition joined The Denver Post, The New York Times and several other media organizations in asking a judge to unseal court transcripts in the case against death-row inmate Sir Mario Owens.
Bill targeting mug-shot websites is introduced
HB 14-1047 would require that commercial websites remove a booking photo free of charge if the arrested person makes a request in writing and that person was not charged with a crime, charges were dropped or the person was acquitted.
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.
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.
Colo. Supreme Court denies motion to open files of death-row inmates
The CFOIC joined other organizations in supporting a request that the Colorado Supreme Court reconsider opening the case files of two men on death row, but the Court immediately denied a motion from defense lawyers.