The Estes Valley Voice had been in existence for just four months when it filed its first open-government lawsuit. Now 14 months since it launched in June 2024, the digital news outlet has filed — remarkably — a total of three. The post In existence for just 14 months, the Estes Valley Voice files its third open-government lawsuit appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Fast Forward Films launched Free Press, Free Country, a campaign to educate Coloradans about the critical importance of strong, independent journalism in a democracy. The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is serving as the fiscal sponsor and as an adviser for the project. The post Free Press, Free Country campaign and documentary will show that ‘journalism is not partisan, it’s patriotic’ appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Steve Zansberg, First Amendment attorney and president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, is a new member of the Colorado Press Association’s hall of fame.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A lawyer’s letter urges the Bennett trustees to rescind their “egregiously unconstitutional” decision to pull the town’s advertising from two Eastern Plains newspapers because they didn’t like an article about a sexual assault that allegedly happened at a middle school. The post Bennett trustees’ decision to pull town’s advertising from newspapers ‘egregiously unconstitutional’ appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act does not permit agencies to charge requesters hundreds or thousands of dollars for body-worn camera footage showing possible misconduct by police officers, three briefs submitted to the Colorado of Appeals argue. The post CFOIC/ACLU brief: Fees for bodycam footage not authorized in Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
People who tuned into July 30 state budget briefings for Colorado legislative leaders saw video and slides — rather than just getting an audio feed — as part of a pilot program that goes through Oct. 31.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Citizens, media representatives and nonprofit organizations asked legislative leaders to repeal Colorado Open Meetings Law changes affecting the legislature that were adopted earlier this year.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Members of the appointed board that oversees the broadcasting of Colorado House and Senate floor proceedings say it’s time the General Assembly joins the long list of state legislatures that provide the public with video webcasts of committee meetings.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Enacted five years ago following the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act has made it easier to obtain police body-worn camera footage. But some barriers to access remain. The post The legislature made it easier to obtain police bodycam footage in Colorado, but barriers to access remain appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
In a landmark ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court declared that statements made in connection with a formal Title IX investigation conducted by a public school district or university cannot serve as the basis for a defamation claim or any other civil tort action. The post Colorado Supreme Court protects Title IX complainants from defamation claims appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
The initiative brings together the resources of each organization and connects journalists with the country’s foremost records experts at the state level who have deep, local knowledge of laws, judicial precedents and strategies that can help them overcome challenges. The post MuckRock, NFOIC and other leading transparency groups receive $1.25M Press Forward grant to help local journalists obtain government records appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
An online clearinghouse of pre-introduced legislative proposals — an idea that died on the General Assembly’s calendar in 2024 — gained new life when a Colorado House committee unanimously passed a measure that delays the project’s implementation until 2028.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Colorado’s Children’s Code does not prohibit the public disclosure of blurred body-worn camera footage of Lakewood police shooting and killing a 17-year-old robbery suspect in 2023, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled. The post Appeals court: Children’s Code does not bar public disclosure of blurred body-cam footage showing Lakewood officers killing 17-year-old robbery suspect appeared first on Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
The Colorado Court of Appeals ordered the dismissal of a libel case against the Arvada Press because plaintiff Jeffco Kids First failed to show “actual malice” by the newspaper or that statements made in an article by reporter Rylee Dunn “were materially false.”| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Citing the separation of powers as “a core tenet of our democracy,” Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill that narrows the definition of “public business" in the Colorado Open Meetings Law as it applies to the legislature and lets members of the General Assembly communicate by email and text message without it being a “meeting” under the law.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A Denver Gazette reporter is not entitled to inspect the disciplinary records of Denver school administrators because a state statute protects the confidentiality of educator evaluations and all documents “used in preparing” those reports, the Colorado Court of Appeals decided.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A judge ordered Aurora to release all unedited body-worn camera footage of police shooting and killing Kilyn Lewis, finding that the city denied 9NEWS’ requests for the video in violation of Colorado's Law Enforcement Integrity Act.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
The town of Bennett is pulling its municipal advertising from two weekly newspapers on the Eastern Plains because board members did not like an article about a sexual assault that allegedly happened in the locker room of a middle school.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A quarter of the way into the 21st century, should Coloradans still have to write paper checks to pay for public records?| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
It didn’t take long for several government entities in Colorado to adopt the new, much-higher, maximum CORA fee rate that went into effect on Monday, July 1.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
This may come as a surprise to Coloradans who have been quoted hundreds or thousands of dollars by cities, state agencies, school districts and other government entities for “research and retrieval” in response to their public records requests: Not every state allows such charges.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
State senators killed a bill that would have given state and local government entities more time to respond to Colorado Open Records Act requests to address what proponents called the “abuse” of CORA.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Colorado senators narrowly defeated a bill to create an online clearinghouse of pre-introduced legislative proposals in between sessions of the General Assembly.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Legislative leaders again discussed providing video coverage of Colorado General Assembly committee meetings, possibly starting with a pilot program.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Writing that “all legitimate requests for public transparency” under the Colorado Open Records Act “should be treated equally under the law,” Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday vetoed a bill that gave government entities more time to respond to requests made by the public and businesses but kept deadlines the same for journalists.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A bill close to passage in the Colorado legislature requires most metropolitan districts to post online “in plain, nontechnical language” information about their debt, mill levies and how residents can serve on their boards.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Although some provisions in SB 25-077 would help requesters of public records in small ways, overall the bill creates additional unnecessary barriers for people seeking to gain a better understanding of state and local government activities in Colorado, which is the very purpose of CORA.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Gov. Jared Polis noted an “unfortunate trend of legislative proposals that ultimately impede access to official records” when he signed House Bill 25-1041, which makes name, image and likeness contracts between public universities and student athletes confidential.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition examined more than 12,000 CORA requests made last year to the governor, treasurer, attorney general, secretary of state and legislature, along with selected other state agencies, county clerks, school districts and cities.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A bill that extends CORA response deadlines cleared another legislative hurdle Monday while a wide-ranging Republican-sponsored government transparency measure died on a party-line vote in a House committee.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A bill that shields the identities of people who seek and get state compensation for property damage caused by wildlife is headed to the desk of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A bill that extends Colorado Open Records Act response times for public and commercial requesters won the support of a state Senate committee.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would undo open meetings law exemptions for the General Assembly enacted last year and make a host of other changes to Colorado’s government transparency statutes.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A state senator is trying again to curb what she has referred to as the “abuse” of the Colorado Open Records Act by certain records requesters.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
Welcome to the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition’s “Guide to Colorado’s Open Records and Open Meetings Laws.”Previously published in booklet format, this online version of CFOIC’s sunshine laws guide is more comprehensive, searchable, indexed by topic and kept up to date.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
CFOIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on membership dues, grants and gifts. You may send a tax-deductible contribution by check directly to the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, 1089 Bannock St., Denver CO 80204. Or fill in the form below and click "Submit via PayPal" to pay with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
A district court ruling against four Douglas County school board members doesn’t affect other government boards, councils and commissions, but it could persuade judges who examine similar cases concerning the legality of serial or daisy-chain meetings under the state’s open meetings law.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
The radio scanners were vital tools of Robinson’s trade, tipping her off to police activities throughout the Denver metro area — information she corroborated by making those countless calls to her many, many sources. But they wouldn’t be so useful if Robinson were still reporting today.| Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
