Investigative records

The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the state fire marshal may withhold certain records from a fire investigation under a judicially-created exemption from the Right-to-Know Law for records "compiled for law enforcement purposes." The opinion addressed the proper interpretation of this phrase, which the court noted was a matter of first impression.

A Pennsylvania appellate court ruled that The Wall Street Journal was not entitled to records from investigations of public utilities under the state’s open records law.

A state trial court judge in Westchester County ruled this week that a Journal News reporter was entitled to certain records related to an ethics investigation of a former White Plains mayor. The ruling reaffirmed that the disclosure requirements of the state open records law preempt a confidentiality provision for ethics investigations records in a local ordinance.

The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that an internal pharmacy audit in a drug theft investigation is a public record. With its decision, the court reversed a lower court's ruling that allowed a taxpayer-funded hospital to withhold audit reports from the public.

A U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that while a federal agency must conduct an adequate search for records when responding to a federal Freedom of Information Act request, the agency is not necessarily required to search every system of records in its possession or contact other agencies that may have information relevant to the request.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has filed a motion to intervene in a high-profile case where the court has sealed documents involving a disbarred former judge, arguing that there is no valid legal basis for keeping the records from public view.

The Washington state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the release of internal investigation records does not violate the privacy rights of even exonerated police officers in Bainbridge Island Police Guild v. City of Puyallup. The court, however, was split on whether or not the name of the officer can be redacted from the report, eventually ruling with a four-justice majority that the name should be redacted.

A federal judge on Wednesday modified his previous blanket ban on the disclosure of investigation records relating to the January mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that severely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.