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Governments Turn Tables By Suing Public Records Requesters (apnews.com)

schwit1 quotes the AP: Government bodies are increasingly turning the tables on citizens who seek public records that might be embarrassing or legally sensitive. Instead of granting or denying their requests, a growing number of school districts, municipalities and state agencies have filed lawsuits against people making the requests -- taxpayers, government watchdogs and journalists who must then pursue the records in court at their own expense.

The lawsuits generally ask judges to rule that the records being sought do not have to be divulged. They name the requesters as defendants but do not seek damage awards. Still, the recent trend has alarmed freedom-of-information advocates, who say it's becoming a new way for governments to hide information, delay disclosure and intimidate critics. "This practice essentially says to a records requester, 'File a request at your peril,'" said University of Kansas journalism professor Jonathan Peters, who wrote about the issue for the Columbia Journalism Review in 2015, before several more cases were filed. "These lawsuits are an absurd practice and noxious to open government."

4 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Criminal disrepsect of the bureaucracy! by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Many of these information outlaws failed to even submit Forms 223981A-1 and 32871BC-5, Application For Permit To Become Information Criminal and Certification of Illegal Information Gathering. That makes them double criminals!

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Re:The US by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Come over to Europe! We could use a few immigrants that can read and write and maybe even have some marketable skills for a change.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Re:Drain this f&ing swamp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Trump may have heard of those three names in passing on Fox News. But if you think he's thought deeply about any of the issues surrounding them, there's lots of bridges in DC for you to buy.

    Now if he could get a massive gold statue of himself erected on the Mall for defending the rights of American citizens by full exoneration of those folks...then you're barking up the right tree.

  4. Re:Drain this f&ing swamp by Hognoxious · · Score: 1, Funny

    You sound like you hate capitalism and free markets!

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."