In a unanimous decision authored by Justice Alito, the U.S. Supreme Court today turned away a constitutional challenge to residency requirement of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act . As we previously reported , the Court granted certiorari in...(read more)
Important N.C. Public Records Question Left Unanswered
The North Carolina Supreme Court last week split 3-3 on an appeal presenting important questions concerning the state’s Public Records Act, apparently leaving it for the General Assembly to close a gap in the law concerning the applicability of the...(read more)
Supreme Court Agrees to Review Virginia Records Law
Last week, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear an important case involving Virginia's public records law . The case, McBurney v. Young , involves a challenge to a provision of the state law that says that "public records shall be open to...(read more)
Court Rules in UNC Football Public Records Dispute
North Carolina Superior Court Judge Howard Manning recently ruled on the scope of protection for documents related to the highly-publicized investigation of irregularities in the University of North Carolina football program. The Court held that the...(read more)
Charlotte Observer Draws Fire for Records Request
The Charlotte Observer was recently on the receiving end of a wave of criticism in response to public records requests it made to local government bodies in the Charlotte area. The criticism did not stem from what it asked for per se , but rather...(read more)
"Sunshine Amendment" Introduced in North Carolina
A bill introduced this week in the North Carolina General Assembly would enshrine the value of government transparency into North Carolina's Constitution. North Carolina, like many states, provides citizens with a statutory basis for inspecting...(read more)
New Effort to Restrict Access to 911 Calls in North Carolina
As the 2011 session of North Carolina's General Assembly kicks off this week, we see the first (and likely not the last) salvo seeking to curtail access to public records in North Carolina. Representatives of the Durham Police Department have...(read more)
Media Outlets Sue for Records Relating to UNC Football Investigation
A number of media outlets instituted legal action yesterday against the University of North Carolina under North Carolina's Public Records Act , seeking several categories of records relating to the much-publicized investigation into UNC's football...(read more)