New Jersey Foundation for Open Government
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UPDATE (9/28/2015) – The decision was for the defendant in this case, unfortunately. Public access to up-to-date court records remains an area that needs improvement. — The Promis/Gavel System is the state’s criminal case database. There is limited information available online or using a public access terminal at a courthouse. Further, the public portal may not list all Read More …
“Nothing in the executive order prevents the city from disclosing the names and addresses of the unsuccessful candidates because the search is now over and the position is filled,” said Paff. “Trenton’s Law Department just flatly denied my request without informing me whether or not they even checked with the unsuccessful candidates. As an open Read More …
In this excellent blog post, John Paff describes how the Gloucester Township Council cut off a speaker from talking during public comment and then immediately closed the public comment period, which almost certainly violated that person’s First Amendment right to address the Council as well as the rights of anyone who was still waiting to Read More …
When it comes to OPRA requests, local governments around the state are surprisingly similar. We all encounter the same roadblocks and delay tactics. As a result, we can utilize the same defenses. With that in mind, we wish to share with our readers a recent exchange that activist John Paff had with a records custodian Read More …
It’s pretty big news when a judge grants a $45,000 fee award in a successful lawsuit seeking public records under the common law right of access. It’s not just the magnitude of the figure, but that the requester-plaintiff — the little guy — could have been stuck with the tab. Many of our readers know that a Read More …