N.C. Supreme Court Makes A Huge Case for Open Records This Past Week, More Transparency and Open Government

HAT TIP: Raleigh News and Observer CLICKHERE

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Under The Dome CLICKHERE

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Raleigh News and Observer Investigations CLICKHERE

The Raleigh News and Observer  reported this past week that the North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled in a court case involving the State Employees Association of N.C. (SEANC) and the records of former treasurer Michael Moore.

Here is a few paragraphs from the article and if you would like to see the whole case and ruling it is a pdf file in the investigations section that is linked above.

"But the Supreme Court decided in an opinion published last week that state officials or agencies should not be the ones to decide whether they have complied with a records request that is in dispute. Courts should make those determinations, wrote Justice Edward Thomas Brady in the unanimous decision.


"Judicial review of a state agency's compliance with a request, prior to the categorical dismissal of this type of complaint, is critical to ensuring that, as noted above, public records and information remain the property of the people of North Carolina," he wrote in an opinion that begins with an affirmation of the principle of "sovereignty of the people.""

Then later in the article from above linked here is what the N.C. Press Association had to say.

John Bussian, a lawyer and lobbyist for the N.C. Press Association, called the ruling the most pointed statement for open government by the Supreme Court in 20 years.

It great to see open government at work and court cases like this one be sent back to the judge and will see where this case goes from here but the N.C. Supreme Court has weighed in very strongly for open government in North Carolina.