Category: Your Right To Know

Wisconsin’s open records and open meetings laws are decades old, passed long before the Internet was even a twinkle in Al Gore’s eye. While the state’s open records law explicitly includes electronic records, it falls short of providing clear guidance in every situation. And that creates problems in an age where the Internet and e-mail are […]

My first question was a softball: “Will you pledge right now to run the most open, transparent gubernatorial administration in the history of the universe?” Gov.-elect Scott Walker’s one-word reply: “Absolutely.” In fact, it’s hard to imagine that Walker will not oversee a more forthcoming executive branch than his predecessor once he’s sworn into office […]

The case of Ken Kratz, the “sexting” former Calumet County district attorney, suggests the state of Wisconsin needs to revamp its rules regarding the regulation of lawyers, especially those on the public payroll. Stephanie Van Groll, a victim of domestic violence, blew the whistle on Kratz, deserves credit for standing up to his disgusting behavior. […]

A state website operating since 2007 is supposed to be informing citizens how state government spends some of their taxpayer dollars by disclosing information on state contracts worth $10,000 or more. But that is not happening. And for a state that strives to be a leader in government transparency, this is not a pretty story. […]

Complaints about secrecy in government tend to come after important information has been withheld. Wouldn’t it make more sense to clear the path to open government early on – before an official is elected?            With fall elections approaching, it is a good time to ask candidates what they would reveal – or not reveal – […]

It was like those legal dramas on TV. The judge, ruling from the bench, always starts out paying homage to some legal principle or perspective. Then there’s a “but” and the judge shifts gears, coming down firmly on the other side. So it was with the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s recent ruling in a case known […]

  SEC, as it turns out, is not an acronym for Securities and Exchange Commission, it’s an abbreviation for SECRECY. That’s the only conclusion we can draw after reading that the agency believes it no longer has to comply with the Freedom of Information Act under the new Wall Street reform signed into law last […]

Albert Einstein famously said, at the advent of the nuclear age: “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything, save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” Substitute a few words and it reflects how some people feel about the information age: “The unleashed power of the Internet has changed […]

Last month, as the current legislative session ground to a close, Wisconsin became the 39th state to pass a shield law for news reporters. The law, the Whistleblower Protection Act, provides assurance to confidential sources that their identities will be protected should an attempt be made in court to force a reporter to reveal this […]

  Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a bill to bar public access to recordings of 911 emergency calls. These audio recordings would be replaced with transcripts. As a broadcast news professional, I understand that 911 calls may be painful for families of victims. That’s why a lot of thought already goes into deciding whether and how […]

As part of national Sunshine Week (sunshineweek.org), March 14-20, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is bestowing its fourth annual Opee Awards to people and institutions that have had an impact on open government in Wisconsin. This was an usually busy year for openness issues. The state Supreme Court ruled that state agencies could not […]

Guest column for Sunshine week by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen March 14-20 is Sunshine Week.  It is important to recognize this national initiative which focuses attention on the importance of open government and the public’s right to know. Citizen oversight of the workings of government is essential to democratic government and our confidence in […]

Once again, Wisconsin’s online circuit court access program (commonly called CCAP) is under attack. CCAP is, by all accounts, a successful program. It provides free online access to most circuit court records, civil or criminal, and is accessed three million to five million times a day. It saves the public and court employees untold amounts […]

Last fall, area police and a Walworth County’s SWAT team executed a no-knock search at a residence in Delavan. It was a full-scale exercise of police power involving heavy weaponry and equipment. But details of the search were kept secret for a full month. Law enforcement officials, prosecutors and court clerks refused to comment on […]

  It’s a simple premise; if the state is going to tax you to pay for something, you should at least be able to find out how those dollars are spent. Thanks to the Internet, achieving this is easier than ever. And in a traditional home of open government like Wisconsin, one would think transparency […]

  The state of Wisconsin has a long tradition of open and transparent government. This is a reflection of our Wisconsin values, which place great importance on the individual citizen’s involvement in government. The state also has a strong tradition of athletics. Whether it is the Packers, the Badgers, or the local high school football […]

For the last decade, Wisconsin has been providing comprehensive online access to the workings of the state’s court system. Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, or WCCA, has generated billions of hits, saved countless hours of staff time for clerks of courts, and eased access to what is unquestionably public information. But now a serious legislative effort […]

Recently, I was asked to present at a conference on open government held by the Wisconsin Counties Association, as someone who uses and promotes the use of the state’s open records law. What did I want this roomful of records custodians to know? Thus, the Top Ten Things Requesters Want list was born. It’s not […]

On paper, Wisconsin’s open records law demands some of the highest levels of disclosure in the country. But for the average citizen, gaining access to the workings of government in Wisconsin can become a lengthy ordeal because the law has no deadlines for turning over records. “The key thing to understand when you look at […]

In some ways, the dispute was a lawyer’s dream: It was a case of first impression presenting an unusual mix of labor relations, public records and constitutional law. But the case also presented a potential nightmare for officials who keep custody of records, those who want to review them, and anyone else who cares about […]