Cloudy days?
At the end of Sunshine Week, there's this [reg. req'd. and isn't bugmenot a wonderful service ...]:
State law gives you the right to see public records and attend government meetings. But now the government wants the power to sue you for asking.North Carolina's cities and other government agencies are pursuing that authority in two ways:
First, lawyers for local governments and the University of North Carolina are talking about pushing for a new state law allowing pre-emptive lawsuits against citizens, news organizations and private companies to clarify the law when there is a dispute about providing records or opening meetings.
Second, the city of Burlington is appealing a ruling last year by the state Court of Appeals that said the government can't take people to court to try to block their access to records or meetings.
Citizens can sue the government over records, the court said, but not the reverse. The state Supreme Court takes up that case next month and is expected to settle the issue.