requests Archives - Page 9 of 11 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

10 Dec, 2015

New Memphis mayor to change city’s public records process, move it out of legal

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:55:58-05:00December 10, 2015|Categories: requests|Tags: Jim Strickland, Memphis, Mike Carpenter, public records request|0 Comments

New Memphis mayor Jim Strickland plans to implement at least one of the recommendations from a report earlier this year that suggested an overhaul of how the city handles public records request. In "Strickland says changes will improve communication," Commercial Appeal politics and policy reporter Ryan Poe writes: Among his first acts as Memphis mayor, Jim Strickland plans to shake up the city's public records process, which a report issued in May said was "inefficient" and at times had perhaps inadvertently violated the law. Doug McGowen (from left), Bruce McMullen, Ursula Madden, Jim Strickland, Brian Collins, Toney Armstrong As he announced several executive-level appointments Monday, Strickland he would make [...]

31 Jul, 2015

Judge says Sumner County Schools denied public records request, but not willful

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-16T15:14:58-06:00July 31, 2015|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: attorneys' fees, Jeremy Johnson, Judge Dee David Gay, Ken Jakes, litigation, public records request, Sumner County, Sumner County School Board, Todd Presnell|0 Comments

Sumner County Judge Dee David Gay said Thursday in preliminary findings that Sumner County Schools denied a public records request from open government advocate Ken Jakes, but that he heard no proof that showed the district was willful in its actions. Gay said he would make a final ruling in November on whether the school district violated the Tennessee Public Records Act when it denied Jakes' request on the basis that he did not follow the local district's requirement that he make the request in person or through the U.S. Postal Service. Jakes had emailed his request, following up with a voice mail, asking in March 2014 to inspect the [...]

29 Jul, 2015

Public records practices of Sumner County Schools under scrutiny at trial

By Deborah Fisher|2015-07-30T05:27:34-05:00July 29, 2015|Categories: requests|Tags: Jeremy Johnson, Jim Fuqua, Judge Dee David Gay, Ken Jakes, Kirk Clements, public records request, Sumner County, Sumner County School Board, Todd Presnell|1 Comment

Ken Jakes, an open government advocate and a candidate for an at-large council position on Nashville’s Metro Council, is expected to testify Thursday morning in a public records lawsuit he brought against Sumner County Schools. Jakes sued after making a request in March 2014 to inspect the school district’s public records policy. District officials say his request, though they received it, was not valid because he sent it by email. Jakes also followed up with a phone call and left a voice mail. At issue is whether Sumner County Schools officials can refuse to respond to a public records request if it is received by email. The district’s policy at [...]

26 Jun, 2015

Appeals Court reverses denial of attorney fees in public records case

By Deborah Fisher|2018-11-16T15:08:36-06:00June 26, 2015|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, requests|Tags: Alex Friedmann, attorneys' fees, Chancellor J.B. Cox, Court of Appeals, Judge Arnold Goldin, Marshall County, Marshall County Sheriff Norman Dalton|0 Comments

The Court of Appeals in Nashville reversed a trial court ruling, and ordered attorney's fees be awarded to Alex Friedmann, managing editor of Prison Legal News, who sued the Marshall County Sheriff's Office after it refused to let him get copies of written jail policies and contracts unless he appeared in person. (Read the ruling: Alex Friedmann, et al. v. Marshall County, TN, et al.) Friedmann wrote a letter to the sheriff's department requesting copies under the Tennessee Public Records Act of certain jail policies and contracts. The sheriff's department told Friedmann that he would have to make his request in person. "This email does not deny Mr. Friedman[n] the records, [...]

6 May, 2015

The Tennessean: UT withholds emails about student athletes, citing FERPA

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T08:28:19-05:00May 6, 2015|Categories: requests|Tags: emails, FERPA, Maria DeVarenne, The Tennessean, University of Tennessee|0 Comments

The Tennessean's news director Maria DeVarenne said the University of Tennessee is stonewalling the news organization's efforts to report on allegations of sexual assault against football players. In a story published today, reporter Anita Wadhwani reports that the university withheld emails between administrators "that could shed light on how the university and its athletics department responded to allegations of sexual assault against student-athletes." The university said emails about the students are protected under the Tennessee Public Records Act and the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. More from the story: The Tennessean in November requested email messages containing the names of five current or former UT football and basketball [...]