Court Reviews County Authority to Sue Public Record Requestors
A case in the Arizona Court of Appeals will determine if a county can sue a public records requester for court clarification, impacting public records law.
Under public records law, when someone requests a public record and is denied access, they have the authority to challenge the decision in court. If successful, they are entitled to recoup their legal costs.
A recent case involving Santa Cruz County has raised questions about the limits of this law. The county faced uncertainty over whether to release an elections-related record and decided to sue the organization requesting the record to get a final word from the court.
The case is pending at the Arizona Court of Appeals and will determine whether a county can sue a public records requester to obtain court-ordered clarity.
Author's summary: Arizona Court of Appeals reviews county authority.