First Amendment News

No newspaper challenge when Santa Cruz judge closes criminal trial

A Santa Cruz county judge closed his court to everyone except the defendant, her attorney, and the prosecutor despite state and federal Supreme Court rulings that courtroom proceedings are public.-DB KSBW.com Editorial March 23, 2009 You might not have known it, but this past week has been “Sunshine Week.” That’s not a reference to the weather; Sunshine Week is a national initiative aimed at ensuring our government and all its branches do business openly and

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County supervisor’s speech protected under California anti-SLAPP law

A San Diego County supervisor won a federal court ruling in a suit brought by billionaire Sam Zell who owns the media conglomerate Tribune Co. as well as a number of mobile-home parks. Zell sued the supervisor for making statements critical of his raising rents in three of his parks. -DB The Union-Tribune March 20, 2009 By Greg Moran FEDERAL COURT — A federal judge has again ruled in favor of the county and Supervisor

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Report identifies ten most wanted government documents and barriers to access

Two open government groups released a joint report to promote open government policies now under review by the new administration. The report included recommendations for making government more transparent. –DB Center for Democracy & Technology OpenTheGovernment.org March 20, 2009 Press Release Washington, D.C. – The Center for Democracy & Technology and OpenTheGovernment.org today released “Show Us The Data: The Most Wanted Government Documents,” a joint report based on an interactive, user-driven search to identify the

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Attorney General orders higher standard for freedom of information

Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memorandum advising the executive branch to presume that government records are public. The Bush administration had a poor record in observing the Freedom of Information Act. -DB Reporter Committee for Freedom of the Press March 19, 2009 By Lucy Dalglish Attorney General Eric Holder issued his much-anticipated memorandum today advising executive branch agencies how the Obama Administration wants the federal Freedom of Information Act to be interpreted. In it,

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Hospital board stonewalling requests for results of closed sessions

The Tri-city Medical Center conducted a three-week-long investigation of eight hospital administrators without releasing a report. With the eight garnering budget-straining paid leave for three months, the community wants to know if the investigation unearthed evidence of poor performance. -DB North County Times March 21, 2009 By Paul Sisson OCEANSIDE – The Tri-City Medical Center board has spent several hours in a series of closed-session meetings over the last three weeks, but has released no

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