Peter Scheer

Parents denied access to juvenile court records

Q: Is it true that a court can refuse to provide a transcript of a court proceeding to the accused in a case or to the parent of the juvenile accused? What recourse is there to challenge that refusal? If the answer could depend on which state it’s in, where would you start looking to find a procedure to challenge the refusal? A: Many states, including California, have adopted laws that make juvenile records confidential

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Settlement in Database Access Suit Announced

BERKELEY, CA, June 16 —The California First Amendment Coalition (CFAC) and MAPLight.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization that shows the connection between money and politics, announced today that they have settled their freedom of information lawsuit against the Office of Legislative Counsel of California, having gained the object of their suit: a machine-readable database of how state lawmakers vote. “It shouldn’t take a lawsuit for the government to realize its data belongs to the people,”

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A&A: Access to government officials’ email on personal account

QUESTION: Suppose a public official advises certain persons to communicate with him at home — either by email or letter — in order to avoid having to disclose any of those communications as public records under the California Public Records Act? Would those records, in fact, be exempt from the PRA? ANSWER: I am not aware of any law that would prohibit a public official from using his home address or personal e-mail account to

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A&A: On access to government officials’ appointment calendars

QUESTION: I requested calendar appointments of the Superintendent  for my district. He refused saying they were exempt from the Public Records Act pursuant to Govt. Code 6254(a) and (k) and 6255, as they relate to the “deliberative process.” However, I understand that the agency must clearly explain not merely state why the public interest does not favor disclosure. (Times Mirror v. Superior CT.) I responded with codes 6253(a) They’ve also postponed other records past the

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Prop 8 Supreme Court hearing is best evidence yet for allowing cameras into the courtroom

By Peter Scheer The California Supreme Court’s hearing yesterday in the Prop 8 case–broadcast live over the internet via streaming video–erased any doubt about the wisdom of allowing cameras into the nation’s courts. Let’s hope US Supreme Court Justices David Souter, Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas were watching the oral arguments on Prop 8’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. They are the camera-allergic justices who have publicly stated their opposition to

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