Alabama sunshine lawsuits

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Here is a list of major FOIA court decisions and their affect on the Alabama Public Records Law.
(The cases are listed alphabetically. To order them by year please click the icon below the Year heading)

Case Year Precedent
Brewer v. Watson (Brewer III) 1882 It was one of the earliest open records lawsuits, establishing the judicial backing for the viewing of public records in Alabama.
Chambers v. Birmingham News Co 1989
Dale v. Birmingham News 1984 This case established that all meetings, whether formal or informal, classify as meetings subject to Alabama law.
Dunn v. Alabama State University Board of Trustees 1993 This case established a precedent for an attorney-client privilege exemption to open meetings law.
Excise Commissioner of Citronelle v. State ex rel. Skinner 1912 This case established the release of records for those interested prior to the Public Records Law.
Miglionico v. Birmingham News Company 1979
Montgomery Advertiser v. Montgomery County Board of Education 1991 This case established that the exemption for discussion of character did not automatically result in a closed meeting but merely required the meeting leader to control the material presented.
Slawson & Furman v. Alabama Forestry Commission 1994 This case required the publication of announcements declaring the times of closed and private meetings.
Stone v. Consolidated Publishing Co 1981