The Supreme Court of New Jersey recently granted certification in Paff v. Galloway Twp. The case involves a key interpretation of the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA). In April, the Appellate Division concluded that municipalities do not have to create records when responding to an OPRA request. The appeals
A divided New Jersey appeals court recently held that the public has the right to access recordings from the mobile video recorders (MVRs) in police vehicles under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). However, it is likely that the Supreme Court of New Jersey will have the final word on
A New Jersey Superior Court judge recently addressed whether a non-resident of New Jersey has standing to bring actions to enforce the state’s Open Public Records Act. In Scheeler v. Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Judge Mark A. Troncone rejected the standing defense raised by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Borough of Raritan recently settled a lawsuit involving the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) for $650,000, according to media reports. The settlement is believed to be the largest involving violations of the state’s public records law. As previously discussed on the Scarinci Hollenbeck Government & Law Blog,
Records custodians can’t go on the offensive when facing suit under the Open Public Records Act, according to a New Jersey appeals court. In Jeff Carter v. John Doe, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court held that a records custodian may not bring a declaratory judgment action
In C.G. et al v. Winslow Township Board of Education, a New Jersey court held that initials and docket numbers were properly redacted from settlement agreements under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). The case involved the interplay of OPRA and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal
As the year winds down, we will be taking a look back at the public law issues that impacted New Jersey municipalities. With regard to the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA), there were a number of legal developments, several of which involved the increased use of technology. In case
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
