By Amanda Palmeira The New England First Amendment Coalition and other open government advocates testified last week in favor of broadening access to Massachusetts court records, calling current limitations burdensome and a disservice. “Public access to court records is not just a public benefit to the here and now – it is a part of […]
By Jim Condos Vermonters deserve good government – and that includes an open and transparent government. We are proud of our state and our collective ability to overcome any difficult issue we may encounter. As Vermonters, when we see a problem, we know we can fix it through hard work and a dose of common […]
New England First Amendment Coalition Executive Director Justin Silverman provided testimony today to the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. Silverman testified in support of legislation that would improve access to public records. More information on that legislation and NEFAC’s work as part of the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance can […]
By Mitchell Pearlman Last year, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned some 20 years of Freedom of Information law when it concluded that police departments need only disclose a bare minimum of arrest information (name, address, date, time and charges) pending prosecution. This ruling applies even if other arrest information is not exempt from public disclosure. The Supreme […]
By James H. Smith Some key Connecticut legislators are telling us to compromise on how much the people can know about crime and punishment, how much we can know about how the police are protecting the public from alleged criminals. I’m not sure how to compromise on the right of the people to know what […]
By Rachel Healy Taking photographs of things that are plainly visible from public spaces is a constitutional right — and that includes recording police and other government officials as they carry out their duties. Unfortunately, there is a widespread, continuing pattern of law enforcement officers ordering people to stop taking photographs or recording video from public places, […]
The following blog post is one of seven that the New England First Amendment Coalition will publish during Sunshine Week, highlighting the need for government transparency and addressing freedom of information concerns throughout the New England states. When posted, these articles can be read here. By Justin Silverman The 10th annual Sunshine Week campaign reminded the […]
The following blog post is one of seven that the New England First Amendment Coalition will publish during Sunshine Week, highlighting the need for government transparency and addressing freedom of information concerns throughout the New England states. When posted, these articles can be read here. By Oamshri Amarasingham The biennial budget proposed by Maine Gov. Paul […]
The following blog post is one of seven that the New England First Amendment Coalition will publish during Sunshine Week, highlighting the need for government transparency and addressing freedom of information concerns throughout the New England states. When posted, these articles can be read here. By Gregory V. Sullivan This is Sunshine Week. Organizations dedicated to […]
By Colman M. Herman With all the flap about Hillary Clinton conducting state department business using her personal email account, I wanted to see if there are any related cases in my own backyard of Massachusetts. Sure enough, I found one. In 2013, Frank Bonet, personnel director for the city of Lawrence, asked the city for copies […]