Gov. John Hickenlooper signed legislation Thursday that requires a “cooling-off period” when open-records disputes reach the point where litigation is being considered.
With House Bill 17-1177, someone who is denied records under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) must wait 14 days to challenge the denial in court. During that time, the records custodian for a government entity must speak with the requester in person or by phone in an attempt to resolve the matter.
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Denver is lawyering up in response to the district attorney’s review of potential criminal open records violations.
As part of a special counsel contract that was already in place, the city has asked Davis, Graham and Stubbs LLP to represent the city attorney’s office in the district attorney’s review of possible open records violations.
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After a bill requiring state courts to abide by open records laws died last week, a prominent officer of the court said the ballot box might be the only solution to judges exempting themselves from transparency laws.
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State lawmakers rejected a proposal Wednesday to treat the administrative records of people who work for Colorado’s judicial branch like the records of those who work for the executive and legislative branches and all local governments in Colorado.
HB 16-1346 would have made civil or internal investigative files on judicial department employees subject to the Colorado Open Records Act.
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When was the last time you used microfilm or microfiche to find information? Does the phrase “on-line bulletin board” bring to mind that screeching noise associated with dial-up connections from 20 years ago?
That’s how long it’s been since the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) was amended to ensure access to public records “kept only in miniaturized or digital form.” This section of the law, with its tech terms from the 1990s and earlier, is so antiquated and so nonspecific that it’s practically useless.
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The Colorado Judicial Branch released a final version of its open records policy on Monday, fixing some portions that sparked complaints during a public hearing but keeping the judicial disciplinary and ethics commissions exempt from transparency rules.
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