In a key public record ruling, the California Supreme Court was unanimous in determining that e-mails and text messages sent by government officials and employees on personal cell devices were a part of the public record. The ruling settled a 2009 dispute in San Jose when government leaders refused to release their communications from private devices even though they concerned the public’s business. Open government advocates have argued that officials routinely covered up official dealings by using private devices. (San Jose Mercury News, March 2, 2017, by Ramona Giwargis)
The court said the California Public Records Act (CPRA) made the communications subject to disclosure. “If communications sent through personal accounts were categorically excluded from CPRA, government officials could hide their most sensitive, and potentially damning, discussions in such accounts,” wrote Justice Carol Corrigan for the seven-member court. (The News Observer, March 2, 20-17, by Sudhin Thanawala of the Associated Press)