Utah transparency headlines
From Sunshine Review
This article is a list of transparency related news from Utah.
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The Utah project on Sunshine Review
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AG's office denies request for search warrant information
September 30, 2008: The Utah Attorney General's Office has denied two open records requests from the Uintah Basin Standard seeking public information about a search warrant served on the Uintah School District office.
The district office was searched in July by criminal investigators with the attorney general's office. A source with knowledge of the search said authorities seized records and computers. The individual asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
After learning about the search in late August, the Standard filed a request under the Government Records Access and Management Act seeking the location of the court where investigators filed their application for the school district search warrant. The request also sought the date that application was filed. Read the full article here.
Keep it open: Deals made with defendants should be accessible
September 17, 2008: We understand Utah federal courts' concern for the safety of defendants who cooperate with authorities. But a proposed rule to conceal "cooperation agreements," which are now part of electronic court records, is too broad and violates the public's right to see public records.
The rule would create a separate entry attached to each online case docket called "Supplemental Information." It could contain a cooperation agreement - or not. Nobody would know exactly what it contained, because it would not be accessible to the public or to reporters. Read the full article here.
Ruling shines light on execution process
July 10, 2008: An attorney for condemned killer Ron Lafferty, claiming there is too much secrecy shrouding executions in Utah, won a partial victory Thursday in his quest for a long list of facts on how the ultimate penalty is carried out.
The state Records Committee ruled that the Department of Corrections should turn over a range of documents, from the process for selecting execution "team" members to any written reviews and performance of the team following an execution. Read the full article here.
Open book: Tell-all Web site should be Utah's goal
July 8, 2008: Utah lawmakers: masters of the closed-door meeting; maestros of the back-room deal; newly crowned champions of open records and government accountability. It's a welcome contradiction.
The Legislature this year authorized the creation of the Utah Public Finance Website, an Internet portal that will allow taxpayers to track how their tax dollars are spent when it comes online next May. A seven-member Utah Transparency Advisory Board, a mix of lawmakers and representatives of the executive branch, is laying the groundwork for construction with preliminary discussions focused on content and capacity. Read the rest of this editorial here.
