Sandy Graham recently took over from Donna Bryson as the CPW representative on the CFOIC board. She filed this report:
During the pandemic, the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition continues the vital work of keeping public meetings open and information available for everyone in the state.
Recently, the CFOIC has:
- Filed an amicus brief in support of the Denver District Court ruling against the University of Colorado regents for violating the Colorado Open Records Act by withholding the names and applications of finalists for the CU presidency.
- Wrote a commentary on the limitations of Colorado’s new police internal affairs records law that may help spur additional legislation in 2021. The commentary was also published by Colorado Newsline and CoLab/Colorado Indy.
- Filed a lawsuit, representing Boulder Beat, over Boulder’s claim that a council member’s personal emails regarding a proposed ballot initiative are not public records subject to inspection under CORA.
- Joined an amicus brief in support of a 10th Circuit federal court ruling that Kansas’ “Ag-Gag” law violates the First Amendment. DU law professors Alan Chen and Justin Marceau have challenged several of these laws, which chill free speech by people who would expose animal cruelty at slaughterhouses and factory farms.
The CFOIC hotline has received 529 calls so far in 2020 from citizens, journalists and people in government.
The CFOIC, formed in 1987, is a nonpartisan alliance of groups, news organizations and individuals dedicated to ensuring the transparency of state and local governments in Colorado by promoting freedom of the press, open courts and open access to government records and meetings.
