Public records

The appellate division of the Superior Court of New Jersey awarded attorney's fees to a records-access plaintiff Monday in Smith v. Hudson County Register even though he was able to access and copy the records he sought.

Documents deemed confidential by court order cannot be disclosed under the Massachusetts public records law, even though no exemption to the law specifically states such records are exempt, the

The Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed and adopted the opinion of a lower court that school districts in the state must disclose the names and salaries of their employees under the state public records act in Laramie County School District No. One v. Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc.

Utah's governor called for the repeal and replacement of a controversial open government law Monday, saying that signing it “resulted in a loss of public confidence,” yet some open government advocates said it was simply a political move.

The Washington state Supreme Court Thursday vacated two separate trial courts' orders, both of which withheld police records from public access under the state's open records laws -- even after some of the records requested were offered as exhibits in a criminal trial -- on the grounds that disclosure would infringe upon a defendant’s right to a fair trial.

The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, heard oral arguments Friday in a case that will determine whether internal investigation files related to racial profiling complaints lodged against state police officers are public records subject to disclosure under the Maryland Public Information Act.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that signatures for a voter referendum are considered public documents subject to disclosure under the state’s freedom of information laws. The decision reversed a lower court's ruling that upheld a county clerk’s denial of a FOIA request by The Shepherdstown Observer newspaper.

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals heard oral arguments last Wednesday on whether to overturn a lower court ruling finding that petition signatures for a voter referendum are not public documents and, therefore, not subject to disclosure under the state’s freedom of information laws.

A Pennsylvania appeals court ruled last week that a minor league baseball team's management group that contracts with a public stadium authority must disclose concessionaires' bids for contracts under the state's public records law.