Probably the most commonly used — and, in my opinion, abused — exemption in our state’s Open Meetings Law is the one that lets governmental bodies meet behind closed doors “whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session.”
In any community, the role of the medical examiner is vital.
The ACLU of Wisconsin released a report last fall that underscores both the scope and the severe consequences of municipal court practices.
“Your Right to Know” is available for publication at no cost. For the 19th consecutive year, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its annual Openness
There’s good news and bad news in a recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision upholding an open records judgment related to the ridiculous and ham-handed investigation into alleged 2020 election fraud headed by former Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman.
Shereen Siewert, publisher of the Wausau Pilot and Review, has been breathing easier these days.
Long, frustrating wait times for responses to Wisconsin Open Records Law requests are not uncommon.
In 2022, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council created a designated fund to help cover legal costs associated with fighting to pry records into the public domain. Called simply the WFOIC Legal Fund, it has never had more than $4,000 in its coffers. But the council has put what money that is there to good use.
Why is the state’s tradition of open government important? Just ask the citizens of Sauk County, who have been treated as though it isn’t.
Last March, the Wisconsin Examiner asked the Black River Falls Police Department to search for emails regarding the death of a missing Indigenous man.