News from Indiana

Indiana Public Access Counselor, Jennifer Ruby, Publishes First Two Opinions
You can read the first two (and more in the future) 2025 Advisory Opinions from Indiana's new Public Access Counselor, Jennifer Ruby: 25-FC-00B: Alleged Violation of the Access to Public Records Act by the New Carlisle Town Council 25-FC-003: Alleged Violation of the...

Indiana Supreme Court: Family & Social Services Administration vs. Robert E. Saint, 25S-MI-101
As several news outlets reported [The Indiana Citizen, The Indiana Lawyer, Indiana Public Radio], the Indiana Supreme Court was hearing the case of Family & Social Services Administration vs. Robert E. Saint that would impact certain types of public records,...

The Goshen News: Some Elkhart County residents want more meetings recorded
Some residents of Elkhart County are concerned about a lack of recording at public meetings, following a new law in the State of Indiana.Per Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-2.9, which went into law July 1, municipalities are required to video livestream public meetings. On July...
News from ICOG

Who you gonna call? 260-ASK-ICOG!
We are excited to launch our public access (ODL, APRA, and civics phone help line), 260-ASK-ICOG. Staffed by ICOG volunteers, we'll do our best to assist you with your questions related to open government in the Hoosier state. Currently being explored as a pilot...

Dear Governor Holcomb: Veto HEA 1338
Dear Governor Holcomb, Veto HEA 1338. I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits. My name is Zachary Baiel and I proudly serve as President of the Indiana Coalition for Open Government, a network of citizens, journalists, academics, and open government...

Sunshine Week 2024: March 10th – 16th
Good day everyone! We are working on some virtual events for Sunshine Week 2024 (March 10th - 16th). One, in particular, will be to help populate our Indiana Data Tracker website with public datasets from across the Hoosier State. You can subscribe to our Substack,...
All the News

Congress: Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act or the PRESS Act passes the House
On January 18th, the House moved forward on the PRESS Act: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. Read the full bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4250/text Read the latest actions here:...

The Brechner Report: 11/10/2023 – All the latest government transparency news
You can read the full newsletter here: https://us9.campaign-archive.com/?e=33979fc3e9&u=e2bfc368fca7a023b36d90db8&id=7cdebedc7a Topics covered: Access to state public records is "deteriorating terribly" Strategies to stem the tide of exemptions New Jersey's...

Shading Sunshine: The Proliferation of Exemptions to State Open Records Laws
Cat Reid. 2023. Shading Sunshine: The Proliferation of Exemptions to State Open Records Laws. Duke Law Journal, Volume 73, Number 2. November 2023. Abstract State and local open records laws play a vital role in our democracy. They shed light on the darkest places,...