The New Jersey Government Records Council (GRC) recently considered the electronic transmission of public records request under the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA). While the GRC concluded that records custodians are not required to accept requests via email, it did find that excluding all forms of electronic transmission would
The Supreme Court of New Jersey has agreed to consider how to apply the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA) to security camera footage. The case, Patricia Gilleran v. Township of Bloomfield, specifically involves whether a municipality must publicly disclose security video footage captured by a stationary camera in a
On September 17, 2015, a new Municipal Agency General Records Retention Schedule took effect that addresses the retention of video surveillance recordings. Local governments should be sure to revise their policies and procedures accordingly. The New Jersey Bureau of Records Management establishes records retention schedules for all public records. The
Rutgers University recently prevailed in a lawsuit alleging violations of the Open Public Records Act and the common law right of access. The Appellate Division’s decision in Academy Express LLC v. Rutgers, The State Univ. highlights the confusion that can arise when OPRA challenges become entangled with public contract disputes.
The Appellate Division recently ruled against a plaintiff attempting to anonymously pursue a complaint under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) in Superior Court. According to the court’s decision in A.A. v. Gramiccioni, there is no statutory authorization, rule authorization or compelling reason authorizing the plaintiff to prosecute
Gov. Chris Christie recently signed legislation that will require the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to comply with the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) in New Jersey and the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) in New York. While the two laws share many similarities, there are a
The Appellate Division recently addressed whether a municipality must publicly disclose security video footage captured by a stationary camera in a municipal building. The decision in Patricia Gilleran v. Township of Bloomfield, highlights that technology is increasingly at the center of disputes involving the state’s Open Public Records Act. The
The Appellate Division recently issued a decision critical of the Government Records Council’s (GRC) handling of an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. The case, Katon v. Department of Law and Public Safety, involved records related to the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) investigation into intelligence-gathering conducted by the
