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Public won when appeals court ruled juvenile murder hearings should have been open

2014-08-20T15:29:12-05:00

By Jim Witt Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Aug. 19, 2014 The public won a significant “right-to-know” decision last week when Texas’ 2nd District Court of Appeals in Fort Worth unanimously ruled that State District Judge Jean Boyd abused her discretion by closing her juvenile courtroom twice early this year during a murder case. Because the media is part of “the public,” we don’t enjoy any special rights or privileges unavailable to ordinary citizens, so we were banished, too. As your de facto eyes and ears, we were severely hampered in our reporting on the proceedings, although our reporters did manage [...]

Public won when appeals court ruled juvenile murder hearings should have been open2014-08-20T15:29:12-05:00

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Rep. Todd Hunter to speak at FOI conference

2014-08-14T21:18:35-05:00

AUSTIN _ First Amendment and open government advocates will address court access, social media usage and updates to public records laws when the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas hosts its state conference Sept. 12. This year’s conference, “A Road Map to Open Government,” takes place at the Hilton Austin and includes speakers and attendees from throughout Texas. “It’s an opportunity for Texans who are devoted to open government - whether at the state Capitol, city hall or the courts – to come together to learn and exchange ideas,” said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the FOI Foundation of Texas. “We [...]

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Rep. Todd Hunter to speak at FOI conference2014-08-14T21:18:35-05:00

New Texas AG ruling keeps governor’s old travel security records secret

2014-08-13T14:58:35-05:00

By Jay Root The Texas Tribune Originally published Aug. 13, 2014 After critics raised a stink about the tax dollars being spent to provide security for Gov. Rick Perry while he was gearing up to run for president, lawmakers passed a bill in 2011 designed to let Texans know — eventually — what they were getting for their money. Now, thanks to a new ruling from the office of Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety will not have to provide itemized travel records for the security detail after all. The DPS is still releasing the overall spending, with figures broken down into [...]

New Texas AG ruling keeps governor’s old travel security records secret2014-08-13T14:58:35-05:00

Appeals court rules juvenile hearings should not have been closed

2014-08-12T23:06:22-05:00

By Deanna Boyd Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Aug. 12, 2014 FORT WORTH — State District Judge Jean Boyd abused her discretion when she barred the media and public from two juvenile court hearings without showing evidence of good-cause, the Fort Worth’s 2nd Court of Appeals unanimously agreed in an opinion released Tuesday. Boyd was ordered to promptly vacate the two closure orders and take immediate steps to make the transcripts of the Jan. 10 and Jan. 22 hearings available to the media group. “I respect the decision of the Court of Appeals and I will comply with their ruling,” Boyd [...]

Appeals court rules juvenile hearings should not have been closed2014-08-12T23:06:22-05:00

State Commission on Judicial Conduct must strike balance between confidentiality, openness at public hearing

2014-08-12T19:58:03-05:00

By Angela Morris Texas Lawyer Originally published Aug. 11, 2014 Seana Willing, executive director of the state agency that disciplines judges, has mixed feelings about holding the commission's inaugural public hearing on Wednesday. "I think there's a little bit of excitement about it, but also anxiety in that: What if nobody shows up? Then what? But we're excited that people will show up and will provide some helpful information that we can use in the future," said Willing. "We just have never done this before, so we don't really know what to expect." Although this is the first hearing, the State Commission [...]

State Commission on Judicial Conduct must strike balance between confidentiality, openness at public hearing2014-08-12T19:58:03-05:00

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