Transparency News, 10/25/2022

 

Tuesday
October 25, 2022

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state & local news stories

 

The public does not have a First Amendment right to remotely access civil court records through the Supreme Court of Virginia's online filing system, even though attorneys can access the records and they are publicly available at the courthouse, the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled in a case of first impression. The plaintiff challenged two state statutes: one which denies attorneys not admitted in Virginia from accessing court records online, and another which prevents the dissemination of records obtained online to third parties.
Virginia Lawyers Weekly
NOTE: The story is behind a paywall, and the opinion can be accessed only through the PACER system, which requires a credit card to sign up. Looking at opinions is free, but downloads are not. #irony

Where a man challenging responses he received in response to his federal Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests failed to exhaust his administrative remedies as to two requests, those claims were dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. 
Read the opinion on the Western District of Virginia website
NOTE: The Western District of Virginia makes most of their cases available by search.

A Republican political action committee leader and a member of the Roanoke City Council say a financial review that disallowed a restaurant bill and museum trip charged to a government account by Democratic Councilman Joe Cobb should have been released months ago. The audit found that Cobb did nothing improper. But just two weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 election, the initially scheduled timing of the audit’s release — set for a December meeting — is raising questions among some as Cobb runs for another council term. The situation is coming to light with the release of the audit by the office of Municipal Auditor Drew Harmon upon a request of The Roanoke Times. The report details the outing, a spring visit to some of the city’s best attractions intended to close out a project to combat gun violence. There was no wrongdoing by Cobb because, when informed the charges had been disallowed, he voluntarily reimbursed the city, according to the audit’s findings.
The Roanoke Times
 

 

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