NEFAC Calls on Officials to Prioritize Transparency and Again Asks for Response to Online Records Concerns
The New England First Amendment Coalition recently asked the Maine Judicial Branch to include public access advocates in its records retention workgroup.
The Records Management Implementation Workgroup will lead the crucial task of updating the state’s record retention policies but it does not include representatives from the press or open government groups.
News media and freedom of information interests are well-represented on related committees and boards in Maine. The same should be true for this workgroup, NEFAC explained in a July 23 letter to Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court Valerie Stanfill.
“All these groups share a core mission of stewarding Maine’s public records policies and including subject-matter experts is critical to good policy outcomes,” wrote Justin Silverman, the coalition’s executive director. “Policies that support transparency are paramount.”
NEFAC’s concerns come nearly a year after the coalition implored the Judicial Branch to reconsider its online records policies, which significantly restrict access to court records and conflict with First Amendment and common law presumptions of access.
NEFAC is the region’s leading defender of First Amendment freedoms and the public’s right to know about government. Learn more about the coalition’s advocacy here.
NEFAC was formed in 2006 to advance and protect the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment, including the principle of the public’s right to know. We’re a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society. Our members include lawyers, journalists, historians, academics and private citizens.
Our coalition is funded through contributions made by those who value the First Amendment and who strive to keep government accountable. Please make a donation here.
NEFAC is supported by the Estate of Gloria L. Negri. Additional funding is provided by Leadership Circle donors including the Rhode Island Foundation, The Boston Globe, Paul and Ann Sagan, and the Robertson Foundation. Major Supporters of NEFAC’s work are Hearst Connecticut Media Group, Boston University, the Academy of New England Journalists, Northeastern University and WCVB-Boston.