A representative government is dependent on an informed electorate
Here are some important resources from the Freedom of the Information Council: Open Government Resources tutorial: A summary of links to key information. F.A.Q’s.: Frequently Asked Questions about the Open Meetings and Public Records Laws, compiled by the Madison law office of LaFollette Godfrey & Kahn. Open Government Problem Areas: A changing list of problems […]
Continue ReadingHere’s a video that explains the process with this sample letter. Below is the sample letter than you can copy and paste into a word processor. Sample Open Records Request Letter _________________________________________________________________________________ RECIPIENT NAME AGENCY ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP DATE Dear MX. XXXXX, This letter is to request the following records, under the state’s Open […]
Continue ReadingOpen Records Cases Adell v Sullivan (Court of Appeals, 1997) Denying damages and costs to a prison inmate who alleged the Racine Correctional Institute withheld documents and responded too slowly to a request for records. Atlas Transit v Korte (Court of Appeals, 2001) Upholding lower court’s balancing of interests in favor of a school system’s […]
Continue ReadingMcNamara/June 10, 1994 (Discussion of whether final deliberations and approval of contract ratification must be conducted in open session). Pelrine/Feb. 25, 1992 (Regarding closed session discussions of hiring of public employee). Ott/Nov. 18, 1991(Analyzing the law’s definitions of governmental bodies and quasi-governmental corporations). Besadny/April 28, 1989 (Applicability of law to advisory committees). Risser/Dec. 19, […]
Continue ReadingMaldonado/November 28, 2016 (Records custodians may not charge for paper copies of electronic records if the only reason paper copies are being provided is that the custodian needs to print them out to make redactions.) State Courts Office/Dec. 30, 2014 (Clerks of court cannot charge people who make their own copies of court records but can prevent […]
Continue Reading“Case closed.” These are words you expect to hear when a court case is completed-the defendant has been found guilty or innocent, the parties have settled, or the case is dismissed. But “case closed” may have another meaning in Wisconsin. Currently, dozens of ongoing cases in Wisconsin are fully or partially sealed from public view, […]
Continue ReadingNot that long ago, I was working for you. I was a public employee of the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin, and I was even a bit proud of that status: Government by the people, and all that. Of course, working for the public meant that my bosses – readers like you – were […]
Continue ReadingOpenness in government is critical to democracy. Wisconsin state law makes that clear in this high-minded preamble to the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law: “In recognition of the fact that a representative government of the American type is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the policy of this state that the public […]
Continue ReadingWISCONSIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL, INC. ARTICLE 1 PURPOSE The purpose of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Inc. (the “Council”) is to safeguard the right of the public to the information it must have to act responsibly in a free and democratic society. A primary goal of the Council shall be to educate Wisconsin […]
Continue ReadingIn October 1978, a group of 21 representatives of state print and broadcast media met at the offices of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Their collective goal: To “have more clout, become more of a fist, serve a stronger warning [and] have a bigger impact” in defending rights guaranteed under the First Amendment. The result was […]
Continue ReadingOfficers / Executive Board Bill Lueders President (Public member) 3505 Lerdahl Rd. Madison, WI 53704 (608) 669-4712 blueders@gmail.com Christa Westerberg Vice President (Public member) Pines Bach LLP 122 W Washington Ave, Ste. 900 Madison, WI 53703 (608) 310-3560 cwesterberg@pinesbach.com Mark Treinen FOIC Secretary (Wisconsin Newspaper Association) The Capital Times 1901 Fish Hatchery Rd. […]
Continue ReadingA picture, they say, is worth 1,000 words. The television and print photographers who take them play a vital role in keeping the public informed. It’s a job that requires much skill, and sometimes entails great risk. News photographers in Wisconsin have been attacked, threatened, arrested, and had their cameras and film confiscated. They have […]
Continue ReadingRecent Wisconsin Supreme Court rulings present a mixed bag that still lends some support to open government advocates by providing new guidance to citizens and government bodies. First, the open government wins: — State of Wisconsin v. Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation clarified when allegedly private entities are subject to the public records and open […]
Continue Reading“Is this really news anymore?” That was one of the anonymous comments posted on the Green Bay Press-Gazette Web site May 29 in reaction to an Associated Press story about what we’re told is the last release of documents related to the tragic shooting in Crandon more than eight months ago. The killing spree claimed […]
Continue ReadingAttorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a strong and important opinion this month favoring the public’s right to know about traffic accidents and crime in local communities. Van Hollen agreed with state newspapers that basic information identifying people in accident and incident reports is open to public inspection under Wisconsin law. It doesn’t matter that […]
Continue ReadingWisconsin has a long history of providing the public with access to its governmental records. Indeed, the state enacted the first of its public records laws in 1917. The current public records statutes were enacted in 1983. Microfilm was the “whiz bang” technology for storing government records in 1983. Other exciting technologies of the day […]
Continue ReadingAs part of national Sunshine Week, March 16-22, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its second annual Opee Awards in recognition of people and institutions which have had an impact on open government in Wisconsin during the last year. The honorees are: Political Openness Advocate of the Year (the “Popee”): Wisconsin Supreme Court. […]
Continue ReadingState Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) is proposing legislation to create a state “shield law” for news media. Thirty-two states already have such laws, which protect a journalist’s right to keep confidential the sources and material gathered during reporting. The Utah Supreme Court recently passed a rule to create a similar privilege there. The need for […]
Continue ReadingOn the surface, it seems like a simple, fair change to Wisconsin court procedures: If you escape conviction, your case can be erased from online records. But the possible consequence of such a fundamental change in public records access is more complicated – and the matter is so contentious that a Legislative Council committee did […]
Continue ReadingWalter H. Besley may well have been Wisconsin’s first open-government crusader. Back in 1853, five years after Wisconsin became a state, Besley, the clerk of circuit court in Jefferson County, billed the county board of supervisors $22 for two expenses: wood to furnish his office, and a large box of candles to light and warm […]
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