The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the federal lawsuit filed by municipal officials in Texas challenging the state’s open meetings act, claiming that the “framers of the U.S. Constitution did not intend the First Amendment to protect government officials’ ability to meet in secret.”
The non-profit journalism advocacy group announced the filing this week as the case, Diana Asgeirsson v. Greg Abbott, heads for the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans (5th Cir.).
In their watchdog role, journalists rely on open meeting laws to report on the conduct of public officials, according to the filing.
It's those laws that foster "transparency and accountability that allows the public to make informed decisions about whether elected officials are governing in the public‘s interest..." the brief contends. "Without laws requiring officials to conduct public business in an open forum -- and threat of meaningful sanction for non- compliance -- public decisions could increasingly be made in private."
The last ruling in the case upheld the state law.
The case has ping-ponged through the federal court system since 2005, when two city council members in Alpine were indicted for violating a clause of the law that mandates a quorum to discuss public business. A good rundown of the case can be found by clicking here.
The state filed for an extension earlier this month as it prepares for the Fifth Circuit hearing.
As this case is based in Texas, perhaps this would be a good time for reporters covering the Rick Perry presidential campaign to get his views on transparency. Perry has already been accused of failing to properly disclose spending on the governor's mansion. Perry's camp is also fighting to keep closed records showing how much the state pays for him, his family and his security detail to travel out of state and out of the country. The state's Department of Public Safety filed action against three newspaper groups seeking that information -- a case that this summer was kicked back to the trial court by the state Supreme Court.
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Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or stevemiller@texaswatchdog.org.
Keep up with all the latest news from Texas Watchdog. Fan our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Scribd, and fan us on YouTube. Join our network on de.licio.us, and put our RSS feeds in your newsreader. We're also on MySpace, Digg, FriendFeed, and tumblr.
Photo of 'gavel' by flickr user s_falkow, used via a Creative Commons license.
In their watchdog role, journalists rely on open meeting laws to report on the conduct of public officials, according to the filing.
It's those laws that foster "transparency and accountability that allows the public to make informed decisions about whether elected officials are governing in the public‘s interest..." the brief contends. "Without laws requiring officials to conduct public business in an open forum -- and threat of meaningful sanction for non- compliance -- public decisions could increasingly be made in private."
The last ruling in the case upheld the state law.
The case has ping-ponged through the federal court system since 2005, when two city council members in Alpine were indicted for violating a clause of the law that mandates a quorum to discuss public business. A good rundown of the case can be found by clicking here.
The state filed for an extension earlier this month as it prepares for the Fifth Circuit hearing.
As this case is based in Texas, perhaps this would be a good time for reporters covering the Rick Perry presidential campaign to get his views on transparency. Perry has already been accused of failing to properly disclose spending on the governor's mansion. Perry's camp is also fighting to keep closed records showing how much the state pays for him, his family and his security detail to travel out of state and out of the country. The state's Department of Public Safety filed action against three newspaper groups seeking that information -- a case that this summer was kicked back to the trial court by the state Supreme Court.
***
Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or stevemiller@texaswatchdog.org.
Keep up with all the latest news from Texas Watchdog. Fan our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Scribd, and fan us on YouTube. Join our network on de.licio.us, and put our RSS feeds in your newsreader. We're also on MySpace, Digg, FriendFeed, and tumblr.
Photo of 'gavel' by flickr user s_falkow, used via a Creative Commons license.
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