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RAIN 0309 Weekly Update: Open Records (19)



Washington Post 03/03/02
Bush View of Secrecy Is Stirring Frustration
Disclosure Battle Unites Right and Left
By Ellen Nakashima
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28109-2002Mar2.html


National Law Journal 03/03/02
Invisible-Ink Formula Stays Invisible
June D. Bell
The National Law Journal
A World War I-era invisible-ink formula must remain out of sight to protect 
national security, a federal judge has ruled.
Siding with the Central Intelligence Agency's efforts to keep the 85-year-old 
documents classified, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson rejected a 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for 16 pages of documents on how to 
create and detect invisible ink.
http://www.law.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTCo...e&showsummary=0&;
useoverridetemplate=ZZZHCC0Q95C


Sun-Sentinel 03/05/02
Florida judge said he's concerned about autopsy law
By Amanda Riddle
The Associated Press
A judge Tuesday said he was concerned about the constitutionality of a 
year-old state law restricting public access to autopsy photos passed after 
the death of race car driver Dale Earnhardt.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-35autopsyphotos.story?

coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dfront


Sun-Sentinel 03/06/02
Judge to rule in 2 or 3 weeks on challenge to autopsy law
By Noreen Marcus
Staff Writer
Is the year-old state law that keeps autopsy photos away from the public a
reasonable protection of grieving families' privacy, or an unconstitutional
breach of Florida's public records law?
The question is before Broward County Circuit Judge Leroy Moe, who said at a 
hearing Tuesday he will rule in two to three weeks on a motion that could 
send a challenge to the so-called Dale Earnhardt law to a higher court. The 
challenge, filed by the Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel, is supported 
by almost a dozen other media organizations.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cautopsy06mar06.story?coll=

sfla%2Dnews%2Dbroward




The Spokesman-Review 02/28/02
Bill to allow judges to close records killed
Senate committee votes 6-3 against government documents measure
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=022802&ID=s1108103



Associated Press 03/04/02
Open-government advocates criticize Oklahoma records bill
Bills aimed at combating terrorism by restricting access to public records 
are moving through several state legislatures.
l In Oklahoma, legislation pending in the state House would close to the 
public records such as the time of school board meetings and the location of 
high-pressure gas lines on their property.
The proposed laws are meant to protect Oklahomans from terrorism, but some 
lawmakers and public groups say the proposals go too far.
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=15817




New York Times 03/06/02
Judge Orders More Papers on Task Force Released
By DON VAN NATTA Jr.
WASHINGTON, March 5 — A federal judge ordered seven government agencies today 
to release thousands of documents related to Vice President Dick Cheney's 
national energy task force.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/business/06CHEN.html



Amityville Record 03/6/02
Disagreement over documents at town hall gets even uglier
by Carolyn James
Babylon Town Attorney Lynne Bizzarro filed an incident report with the 
Suffolk County Police Department’s First Precinct last week saying that 
Councilman Lindsay Henry
intimidated and harassed her when he caused disturbance in her office after 
being told he could not get copies of a draft contract he had requested. The 
case is being investigated, but no charges have been filed.
http://www.amityvillerecord.com/news/2002/0306/Front_Page/008.html



The Spokesman-Review 03/05/02
Kempthorne signs records-law deal
Boise _ Gov. Dirk Kempthorne signed into law on Monday a compromise bill to 
protect government records of buildings and infrastructure, including threat 
assessments and evacuation plans, when releasing them would endanger public 
safety.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=030502&ID=s1110979&;
cat=section.idaho




Sun-Sentinel 03/07/02
Court orders firm to pay Herald legal fees in records fight
Associated Press
MIAMI -- The Herald has won $331,000 in legal fees from an airport consulting 
firm it took to court to gain access to lobbyist records.
The Third District Court of Appeal said in its Wednesday ruling that the 
company's efforts to keep the documents secret ``amounted to the very 
definition of stonewalling'' and could be criminal.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-37herald.story?coll=sfla%2Dbusi

ness%2Dheadlines



Wilmington Star 03/07/02
Historian sheds light on patriot
By Mark Schreiner
ABOARD THE SNAPDRAGON | More than 220 years after he died, funeral rites were 
read Wednesday for the first time over what is believed to be the watery 
gravesite of Revolutionary War patriot William Cains.
New historical research has found documents that may shed light on the life 
of Mr. Cains, a previously unrecognized patriot, and on a 1776 battle on Bald 
Head about which little was thought to be known.
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/news/stories/9664newsstorypage.html



Orlando Sentinel 03/08/02
You don't have to go on record for record
By Pamela J. Johnson 
The state Supreme Court on Thursday agreed with the Orlando Sentinel and 
ruled that people seeking public records from Florida courts need not reveal 
why they want the documents.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-loccourt08030802mar08.story?coll

=orl-news-headlines



Associated Press 03/08/02
Requests for Florida court records must be in writing
By The Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Citizens' requests for public records from Florida courts 
have to be in writing, the state Supreme Court said in a unanimous ruling 
yesterday.
People seeking records from either the executive or legislative branches of 
government aren't required to put their requests in writing, the court said.
But the Supreme Court also explained that people do not have to reveal why 
they want the records they're seeking. The high court also said anyone who 
has difficulty putting their record request in writing can get help from the 
court staff.
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=15847



New York Times 03/08/02
Court: Kohl Records Can Stay Sealed
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BERLIN (AP) -- Wiretap recordings of Helmut Kohl collected by the East German 
secret police were sealed by a court Friday, handing the former chancellor a 
victory with broad implications for public access to the communist era spy 
files.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Germany-Stasi-Kohl.html


The Guardian 03/09/02
Thousands of Stasi files lost to history by Kohl ruling
John Hooper in Berlin
Germany's disgraced former chancellor, Helmut Kohl, yesterday won the right 
to block all access to the files kept on him by East Germany's communist 
spymasters.
The ruling, by an appeal court in Berlin, is expected to have a profound 
effect on research into Germany's cold war history, as it also puts out of 
bounds records kept on a vast range of people, from former communist party 
bosses to headteachers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,664480,00.html


The Times 03/09/02
Cold War Kohl tapes stay locked in the past