Dealing a blow to freedom of information, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Virginia can restrict the use of its Freedom of Information Act to state residents. See ruling.
The Court was unanimous in finding most information could be found on online and the refusal to provide the rest did not violate any constitutional privilege. (Courthouse News Service, April 29, 2013, by Barbara Leonard)
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press had argued in an amicus brief that the Virginia Freedom of Information Act hurt the media’s ability to do their jobs, “By largely limiting public record access in Virginia to commonwealth citizens, VFOIA inhibits the media from acquiring newsworthy records and stymies efforts to provide state-by-state comparisons on important topics such as public education, healthcare, and law enforcement activities.”
The trend has been for states to allow out-of-state residents access to public records and besides Virginia only Arkansas and Tennessee have erected a barrier. (Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2013, by David G. Savage) -db