CASE SUMMARY: LFTG v. Wall Township Board of Education

Case Name: Libertarians for Transparent Government (LFTG) v. Wall Township Board of Education and Brian J. Smyth Docket Number: MON-L-2848-17 County: Monmouth Filing Date: August 3, 2017 Presiding Judge: Not yet assigned (as of 8/10/17) Status: Open Overview: This case presents the issue of whether a custodian can deny access to an invoice under the Read More …

Court finds Lawrence School Board violated OPMA, issues injunction

PRESS RELEASE For immediate release June 22, 2017   On June 21, 2017, Mercer County Assignment Judge Mary C. Jacobson ordered the Lawrence Township Board of Education to better inform the public of the topics it discusses during closed-door meetings and to put more detail into the minutes of those meetings. Jacobson issued her order Read More …

Brick School Board stops providing meeting materials with its agenda

Per the article below, the Brick Board of Education recently stopped providing hyperlinks to documents with its public meeting agenda, a move that contradicts a campaign promise of greater transparency. The Board quotes the Appellate Division’s 2015 ruling in Opderbeck v. Midland Park Board of Education, in which the Court ruled the OPMA does not Read More …

Lawrence School Board over-redacted its closed meeting minutes

Records requestors are often given redacted (i.e. black-lined) versions of the minutes from their town council’s or school board’s closed or executive meetings. Sometimes, the redactions are explained only by a vague description such as “on-going litigation” while other times no reasons at all are given. Because requestors aren’t quite sure what has been redacted, Read More …

CASE SUMMARY: NJFOG v. Lawrence Township Board of Education

  Case Name:  NJFOG v. Lawrence Township Board of Education Docket Number:  MER-L-1831-16 County / Vicinage:  Mercer Filing Date:  September 12, 2016 Presiding Judge:   Jacobson, Mary C. Status:  closed   Overview: The complaint alleges multiple violations of the OPMA and OPRA. Records Act (OPRA) counts were settled in November 2016 (see documents below), and the Read More …