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June 29, 2018
Washington State
Outside Washington State
In the Courts
- Lawsuit over Amazon bid reveals latest way officials attempt to sidestep public disclosure laws – MN
- Supreme Court cracks down on government snooping through cellphone location records – USA
- NYPD sued for not releasing gun records for President, sons – NY
- State high court rules KSU academic study correspondence is public record – KS
- District Court Judge: Nebraska officials must release some death penalty records – NE
- Appeals court orders utility regulators to produce emails in nuclear plant investigation – CA
- Payday lenders lose open records lawsuit: correspondence to be released – GA
Legislation and Policy
- Governor considers new limits on release of public employee info – OR
- Justices consider limits on how the Wisconsin public records law applies to courts – WI
- House passes bill to open government data about opioid abuse – USA
- Video: Scottish Parliament discuss Government FOI handling and record keeping – International
Transparency and Open Government
- Government’s data-accessibility challenge: More to transparency than putting reams of info out there
- Opinion: Online records a boon for transparency in Maine’s court system – ME
- Governor opens FOIL NY public records access website – NY
- Editorial: California Legislature can boost confidence in police by opening probe records – CA
- The United States Supreme Court has no transparency, and that’s a problem – USA
- See public records? Governments are making it harder
- State launches redesigned transparency portal – IN
- Iowa transparency lawyer resigning after short, rocky tenure – IA
- Editorial: Missourians deserve to know if governor’s administration violated open records laws – MO
- Lexology: Is the use of self deleting apps legally defensible?
Privacy, Security, Public Safety
- DOJ claims release of drug data would spur robberies – USA
- Denmark Tech police chief charged with disclosing confidential information – International
- How GDPR has changed companies’ data retention policies
Fees, Costs, Burdensome Requests
- Parents question ‘abuse’ of public records requests to school district – CA
- Editorial: Charging fees for public records reduces transparency – WY
Records Management, Archives
- National Archives updates progress on ICE records disposition – USA
- In rebel Syria, a race to save precious property deeds – International
- Society of American Archives Statement on Presidential Records – USA
- So you’ve got a job in records… advice for new government RM staff – International (Australia)
June 22, 2018
Washington State
- Internal police investigations, body camera video could be posted online under proposed Spokane law
- Tiny town of Mesa ordered to pay $175,000 to former mayor over records dispute
- Judges’ lawsuit against Franklin County clerk gets personal
- Lacey settles dispute over police guild’s records requests with payment, public admission
- Editorial: A reality check for politicians
- Editorial: Voters need the full story about state Rep. David Sawyer’s conduct
- 2018-2019 Local Records Grant Program application will open July 2, 2018
Outside Washington State
In the Courts
- Lawsuit claims Kansas official exposed private voter data – KS
- Nebraska must reveal supplier of lethal injection drugs, judge rules – NE
- Journalist sues UC Regents over alleged failure to provide requested public records – CA
- Opinion: Rulings improve New Jersey’s strong public records laws – NJ
Legislation and Policy
- California lawmakers move to make police misconduct records more public – CA
- Payday lending group loses state Supreme Court lawsuit over record release – GA
- School District seeks to limit ‘unduly burdensome’ public records requests – CA
Transparency and Open Government
- Oregon court system shields evaluation of alleged killer – OR
- EPA under fire for slow rolling release of public records – USA
- Opinion: Lack of government transparency hinders work to improve Maine – ME
- Critics question lack of transparency in public-private economic development groups – DE
- St. John police make data public in push for transparency – IL
- Fired FBI official discovers former employer sucks at transparency – USA
- ‘Sunshine’ expert: public office requires more accountability than social media– MO
Records Management, Archives
Pittsburgh’s recordkeeping system is a mess, but 2 bills – and 1 man – aim to fix that – PA
June 15, 2018
Washington State
- Who controls court records? Franklin County prosecutor says judges went behind his back
- Time key to saving historical documents from the Aberdeen Museum of History fire
- Seattle chief privacy officer urges caution at ‘ground zero’ for data
Outside Washington State
In the Courts
- Court filing: Trump administration can’t hide Kushner-led office from FOIA – USA
- Public records lawsuit proceeds against Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board – USA
- Judge rules Puerto Rico must release all death records from Hurricane Maria – USA
Legislation and Policy
Transparency and Open Government
- House Democrat accuses EPA of delaying records requests by answering Obama-era ones first – USA
- Maine to provide public access to online court records – ME
- John Kelly instructed DHS official to avoid email to deter hackers, FOIA requests – USA
Privacy and Security
- Oregon Amends Data Breach Notification Law – OR
- Chinese Hackers Stole 600GB of Data from US Navy Contractor – USA
Records Management, Archives
- Meet the records staff who tape Trump’s papers back together – USA
- OPM seeks governmentwide solution for digital employee records – USA
- Revisiting metadata retention in light of government’s push for new powers – International (Australia)
- Crisis at the National Archives: Missing records – USA
- Mundaneum: the Belgian archive that anticipated the internet – International (Belgium)
- NARA’s Federal Electronic Records Modernization Initiative: An Overview – USA
June 8, 2018
Washington State
- Uber and Lyft may have to disclose Seattle data they claim secret, Supreme Court rules
- Editorial: Legislature is still in misguided pursuit of secrecy
- Portland wants Washington Court to block defense attorney’s public record request
- Editorial: Open government questions in Olympia need answers soon
- Media, lawmakers search for peace on public records
- San Juan County awarded $10,000 in ‘frivolous’ public records lawsuit
Outside Washington State
In the Courts
- San Diego Records Manager says she was fired for following state laws in outbreak disclosures – CA
- Puerto Rico ordered to release death records to CNN and others – USA
- EPA Chief loses a round in court on release of climate change studies – USA
- Texas must reveal where it got execution drugs, the Texas Supreme Court affirms – TX
Legislation and Policy
- Governor vetoes bill that would have restricted release of child autopsy reports – CO
- Electronic access to court documents debated in Maine – ME
Transparency and Open Government
- See Public Records? Governments Are Making It Harder
- Editorial: Two strikes on public records; will city go for a third? – OR
- Open Government event: The people’s right to know – ID
- Hundreds of prisoners languish behind bars waiting for court clerk to do her job – IL
- Government agencies may have to deal with text message archiving
- In battle of city future, plan opponents urge faster access to info – FL
- Australia Panel Seeks Public Release of Global Tax Report Details – International
- B.C.’s privacy watchdog wants oversight of government emails – International
- San Diego Unified’s New Email Retention Policy Worrisome for Transparency Advocates – CA
- Chris Christie left office and took control of his old e-mails with him – NJ
Privacy and Security
- APD chief: Dashcam archive wiped out by cyberattack – GA
- The Difficult Balance of Transparency and Privacy for Local Governments
Records Management, Archives
- International Archives Day is June 9, 2018
- 3 ways to ensure records management compliance
- NARA: Email System Features and Records Management
June 1, 2018
Washington State
- Tacoma could owe hundreds of thousands of dollars for withholding surveillance tech records
- Media, lawmakers search for peace on public records
- Snap! Taking photos of public records makes sense
- Editorial: Time for legislature to learn from public records debacle
- My experience with public records contradicts WWU’s narrative
Outside Washington State
Legislation, and Policy
- Records quest for 800 Wyo. agencies drives open records review – WY
- Phoenix Mayor, Vice Mayor reject County Attorney letter on public records – AZ
In The Courts
- Appellate Court: OPRA Not Limited to Jersey Citizens – NJ
- Court: Public Social Media Posts Are Fair Game For Defense Attorneys – CA
- Franklin Township Forced To Turn Over Lawsuit Documents To Online Newspaper – NJ
- City Council votes to release police chief recruitment records after – CO
Transparency & Open Government
- Editorial: Two strikes on public records; will Portland go for a third? – OR
- Report: Public transit agencies should not have to disclose safety planning records in court – USA
- What Did Cities Actually Offer Amazon? – USA
- Are Texas teachers’ records transparent enough? – TX
- A shooting, a dashboard video and a firestorm over prosecutor’s plan to control police records – AZ
- See public records? Governments are making it harder – USA
- Did an Emmett bus driver abuse student? If Idaho public records law worked, we would all know – ID
- Getting records from a presidential library can take longer than their term in office – USA
- Glasnost for US Intelligence: Will Transparency Lead to Increased Public Trust? – USA
Fees, Costs, and Burdensome Requests
Privacy, Security, and Technology
- State law that keeps juvenile records private also shields police from scrutiny, advocates say – IL
- Police social media policy does not mention public records, communication with minors – LA
- Humana tries to block release of ‘trade secrets’ by federal agency – USA
- Fusion Center gets request for documents on extremists, hands over mind control docs instead – USA
Records Management & Archives