Greg Weaver: Department of Energy should stop its sneaky FOIA purge
Transparency can be time consuming and costly. But that doesn’t mean government should throw out FOIA requests for expediency—or for potentially darker motives.
Indiana Access to Public Records Act
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Greg Weaver: Media win on buffer zone law should soften future proposals
The 7th Circuit’s decision to continue to block the law probably won’t stop the Legislature from passing a similar one in the future. But, at the very least, it will make such a proposal less objectionable to journalists and citizens who support public view of police actions.
Open government group launching public access hotline, hopes to ease PAC workload
The pilot project is operated by the Indiana Coalition for Open Government. The volunteer-staffed hotline will formally launch Aug. 1 but is already open for calls.
Greg Weaver: Reporters Committee making a difference in Indiana public access
Indiana is one of five states where the committee has established a Local Legal Initiative, a six-year-old program that is working to expand beyond the organization’s federal efforts and help keep state and local governments accountable.
Greg Weaver: Indiana’s public universities need to let in more light
Taking action without providing a meaningful explanation seems to be standard policy when it comes to Indiana’s public universities these days.
Greg Weaver: A chat with Indiana’s new public access counselor
Jennifer Ruby, Indiana’s new public access counselor, said she’s not yet sure how the Legislature’s changes to rules regarding her office would be confining to her work.
Greg Weaver: Indiana Supreme Court gives Hoosiers another win for access to public records
What saved the day were a common-sense ruling and the preamble to Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, which calls for a broad interpretation of the law that favors disclosure.
Greg Weaver: Braun’s progress on public transparency brings hope for more
There’s much more work to be done to assure transparency throughout the rest of state and local government.
Judge extends order prohibiting state from disclosing terminated pregnancy reports
Two doctors testified in court Wednesday that the reports contain too much personal information and could threaten the privacy and safety of both patients and the physicians performing the abortions.
Indiana’s public records expert steps down as new law shapes office’s future
Luke Britt estimates that he wrote more than 2,000 advisory opinions in his tenure. He was appointed in 2013 by former Gov. Mike Pence and reappointed by former Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Bernard sues Indiana State Health Commissioner over release of terminated pregnancy reports
Dr. Caitlin Bernard and another board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist are suing the Indiana State Health Commissioner and the nonprofit Voices for Life, Inc., arguing that terminated pregnancy reports should not be disclosed under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act.
News outlet sues over Indiana’s refusal to disclose cost of lethal injection drug
A press freedom group representing the Indiana Capital Chronicle has filed a lawsuit in Marion Superior Court alleging the Indiana Department of Correction violated public records law by declining to reveal the cost of the lethal injection drug used in Joseph Corcoran’s December execution.
Weaver: Public access is at risk in two pending court cases
Two cases being considered by the Indiana Supreme Court could have a dramatic effect on Hoosiers’ rights to obtain government documents under the state’s Access to Public Records Act.
State supreme court to hear oral arguments in public records dispute
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in December for a case involving an Indianapolis attorney’s public records request that had been denied by the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration.
Weaver: On transparency, Gov.-elect Braun should lead by example
He can start by protecting the role of the state’s public access counselor despite the Legislature’s moves to weaken the post.
Indiana Supreme Court to hear arguments on public records access dispute with Indiana Election Division
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in a case involving a man’s public records access dispute with members of the Indiana Election Division.
Indiana Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in public records dispute
The dispute centers on whether the state should have to pay the attorney fees of a man who sought certain public records from the Indiana Election Division.
Boswell and Chinn: Public agency considerations in an era of engaged citizenry
By utilizing some strategic forethought and planning, public agencies can help protect board members from harsh public scrutiny while simultaneously adhering to the important tenets of public transparency.
Reversal: Police can’t charge to ‘inspect’ accident reports
Police departments cannot charge citizens a fee to “inspect,” rather than “obtain,” accident reports, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled, ordering the Evansville police to allow a woman to inspect such a report at no charge.
Court orders AG Rokita to release report on former job in private sector
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita will have to make public the government’s advisory opinion on his former employment with Apex Benefits after a trial court rejected his argument that the document is confidential.