Transparency News 3/11/16

Friday, March 11, 2016


State and Local Stories

To celebrate Sunshine Week, I’ll be hosting some FOIA chats through Google Hangouts. 

This is the first time I’ve tried these with a public audience, so there may be some kinks to iron out, but we’ll give it a go and see what happens!

Our first one is an update on the 2016 legislative session. What passed? What should have passed? What didn’t pass? What will be studied further? 

Join us Monday from 2-3 p.m. by clicking on the link below and joining the Hangout (with or without video).
https://hangouts.google.com/call/5uu3boenyzf37h6bhquqk7lhsie

Legislators have dropped language into the state budget ordering the Supreme Court and circuit court clerks around Virginia to provide electronic case data to a state commission that studies crime, but not to the public. This is the same data the Daily Press sued, unsuccessfully, to access last year. It catalogs case outcomes, along with data about the defendant, including name and race. The budget only orders access for the Crime Commission, and the language specifically says the data won't be made subject to Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The commission may only use it for "research, evaluation or statistical purposes," the language says.
Daily Press

The City of Winchester denied a Freedom of Information Act request to release information concerning the death of 20-year-old D’Londre Minifield. Winchester police said Minifield died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Feb. 28 after a foot chase with officers in the area of Roosevelt Boulevard. But some believe he was shot by police and protested to know more about the circumstances of his death.
Winchester Star


Sunshine Week begins this Sunday and runs through the 19th. Look for FOIA-related stories in your local newspaper and TV outlet all week long.


National Stories

A Detroit Free Press-led battle over the public's right to see mug shots of criminal defendants is back before a federal appeals court today, only this time the media company has loads of backup — roughly 60 news organizations have joined in the fight. At issue is a policy by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has refused to release mug shots of criminal defendants on privacy grounds, even though courts have repeatedly ruled that the public has a right to see those photos. The latest such ruling came in August, when a three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Free Press, but still urged the full court to take up the issue. So today, a panel of all 15 judges in the 6th Circuit is hearing arguments from both sides in a case that pits the public's right to know against a defendant's right to privacy. Backing the Free Press are 59 news organizations and various associations, which filed briefs in the case in support of the public's right to see mug shots.
Detroit Free Press


Editorials/Columns

Whether in Spotsylvania County, another Fredericksburg-area locality, the Virginia General Assembly or the halls of Congress, our representatives must not stand for personal attacks on people who come before them to speak. No one has to agree with the speaker, but every American deserves a respectful hearing. In local meetings, a person might only be granted a few minutes to say their piece; they should be politely listened to, no matter their opinion.
Free Lance-Star