Legal News

City of Wilson seeks to rewrite public records law


March 30, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

The Wilson Times has reported on a bill authored by Rep. Susan Martin, R-Wilson, that would exempt information related to alarm registrations from the state Public Records law. The legislation would apply only to the city of Wilson, but the effect could […]

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NC GOP requests 14 years of records from Attorney General Roy Cooper


March 23, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

The News & Observer has reported on a  series of public records request to Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office by the North Carolina Republican Party. The article quotes SMVT attorney Brandon J. Huffman on the public records law: While the GOP request […]

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Police turn over video from officer shooting dog


March 23, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

Gaston Gazette has reported that one North Carolina police department decided to release police body camera video in the wake of the non-fatal shooting of a dog. The department cleared the officer involved of any wrongdoing and released the video to […]

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Charlotte officials used personal email for public work


March 20, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

In the wake of the revelation that Hillary Clinton used her personal email address while Secretary of State, rather than a government address, the Charlotte Observer has reported on similar activity at the local level. The story includes several examples of […]

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How open are Asheville’s records?


March 20, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

The Citizen-Times has published a thorough article on the City of Asheville’s public records practices as part of its ongoing reporting on Sunshine Week. The article quotes SMVT partner and North Carolina Press Association counsel Amanda Martin several times:  “Our democracy is […]

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New economic development group could keep more incentives records private


March 18, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

The News & Observer has reported on a new public-private partnership that will lead efforts to bring companies to North Carolina. The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina will operate within a framework outside of the normal public records law, despite being […]

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Wake school board security policy may violate the law


March 17, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

WRAL reports on changes to Wake County Schools’ security policy for its meetings. Now, meetings will require attendees show identification and submit to a simplified background check before entering the meeting. The article quotes SMVT attorney Mike Tadych, and suggests […]

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Hundreds of secret WNC county meetings, with few details released


March 15, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

The Asheville Citizen Times reports on an investigation by Carolina Public Press into how often county commissioners in North Carolina’s western counties went into closed session last year. The article quotes SMVT attorney Amanda Martin: “I get called with some frequency” […]

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NC policies on government emails hard to police, lead to delays in public access


March 15, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

In the wake of Hillary Clinton’s now-famous use of her personal email address for official business while Secretary of State, WRAL has investigated North Carolina’s laws on public employee emails. Federal and state law are similar: public business on private […]

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Marion police to get body cameras


March 11, 2015 About SMVT, Legal News

The Marion, North Carolina, Police Department plans to equip each officer with a body camera, the McDowell News reports. The story quotes SMVT attorney Amanda Martin on whether the recordings from the cameras are public records: Body camera footage and […]

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