Maryland public records ruling could let more sunshine in

From The Baltimore Sun:

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled recently that state police personnel files are not completely off-limits under the Maryland Public Information Act, a finding that could broaden access to a whole range of information, experts say.

The decision came after a long battle between the Maryland State Police and the local branch of the NAACP, which wanted to see records of internal affairs files on racial profiling complaints. Some lawyers involved in the case say the ruling will likely have wide implications for any of the long list of "mandatory exemptions" contained in the public information law.