Texas judge orders city to release e-mail records to newspaper

Former Reporters Committee fellow Jennifer LaFleur writes in today’s Dallas Morning News:

Texas District Judge Gena Slaughter has ruled that the city of Dallas must release e-mails requested more than 22 months ago by the Morning News, including messages from city officials’ personal accounts or hand-held devices used to conduct city business.

In late 2005, two News reporters submitted separate Texas Public Information Act requests for access to e-mails from several Dallas officials, including City Manager Mary Suhm, former Mayor Laura Miller and housing director Jerry Killingsworth.

The News filed the lawsuit in July 2006 after exhausting other efforts to obtain the information, said David Starr, vice president and deputy general counsel of Belo Corp. Belo is the parent company of The News.