State Sup Ct Tells Governor to Comply w/FOIA Requests

[@jakobrandel8105]

I tried to use FOIA to get the police's policy because of all the times I've been told 'It's policy'. I was standing right next to the sign explaining FOIA while 6 cops told me it was illegal for them to hand over that info. Finally the guy right below the chief came out and told me that I could get it, but I would have to pay the wages of the person who was going to be doing it, because they would have to take overtime to put all the PDFs on a thumbdrive. It took over a month because they had to comb through the documents and redact sensitive information. When I stopped calling and just went in twice a day for 3 days, recording myself this time, they had it. There were no redactions, they never tried to charge me for overtime, but they did charge me $20 for a 256 mb thumbdrive... And yeah, as you may have guessed, the 'it's policy' they kept throwing around wasn't in their policy.

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

It's their unwritten policy to lie their asses off...

[@cycleboy8028]

@USANATION1 Hmmm... FOYA could be the "F Off You Aholes" policy. Maybe??? LOL

[@jakobrandel8105]

​@usanation1280I am a smart man (making fun of myself)

[@Troy_Built]

Just because it isn't written doesn't mean it's not their policy.

[@saltycreole2673]

Cops lie. The end.

[@llareia]

I like the "I don't have to follow the law, I'm a politician" argument. Showing how politicians really feel about themselves. :laughing:

[@croiners4166]

Some law enforcement feel this way too

[@ohsweetmystery]

Qualified immunity needs to end. ASAP.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

The whole method of making the person file and THEN complying just ahead of the opening of the case is a SLAPP case by another form. Forcing the citizen to spend money they shouldn't have to while the state uses taxpayer money to F with the citizen. - Beatings should follow.

[@dangeary2134]

Qualified Immunity sounds more like something a corrupt protector would say. “I will MAKE it legal!” Thank you, George Lucas, for the insight and warning of what GOVERNMENTS truly become!

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@ohsweetmystery No, but it needs to be amended. There is good justification for such laws. However, there is also clearly abuse of the qualified immunity laws. The solution is to take away the ability to abuse the law while still protecting government from frivolous law suits and individuals from doing their jobs in a lawful manner. What you are recommending would bog down governments and eat up budgets.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Local city tried to charge $5 per page , they lost in court .

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Copy machine was broken, so they had to transcribe the documents by hand. 😉

[@robertsteinbach7325]

I think South Carolina is the only state where they still get away with blocking FOIA by fee per page.

[@toriless]

$1 unofficial $5 official, Snohomish County's scam. recordings jumped fro, $79 to $200 since covid-19. Covid-19 is making government SOO much money.

[@jthorson8506]

​@@robertsteinbach7325 they can legally charge you for cost of supplies, paper and ink. Email is free

[@georgesheffield1580]

Some cities in Texas were trying to charge $60 ,per page .

[@mwwhited]

It would be nice to have government actors held criminally liable for ignoring the law.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Extremely so

[@dudelostman7412]

Ha, that is a nice dream.

[@FHL-Devils]

1/2 of any judgement that would otherwise be picked up by the taxpayer should be charged directly to the officials engaging in this behaviour.

[@privacyvalued4134]

They'd all just give themselves raises to offset the difference. Anyone who somehow didn't get sued would make bank. Everyone else would still pull six figures.

[@michaelloflin7278]

all of it

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Who has standing to bring such a suit? Any citizen? What if the government settles with a plaintiff? Should any citizen be allowed to bring a suit against individuals any time the government pays plaintiff’s fees and costs, no matter the circumstances? This is just for a start. Which individuals do you sue? What if there is an agreement with the government to indemnify employees subject to these costs? When you get into the details, there are a lot of unforeseen consequences. You have to make sure you aren’t incentivizing behavior and policy you want to avoid. I think your scheme would lead to too many problems to count.

[@fuckhandles.]

@@MarcosElMalo2 It seems most of that is in his original post. If it settles then it isn't a judgment. Further why would standing change? Anyone that doesn't have standing to bring a case. Still does not have standing.

[@musicloverme3993]

@@fuckhandles. It could be a Consent Judgment. I got those sometimes on behalf of my employer suing individuals in Small Claims Court.

[@ebr-fan1117]

Intentional "wilful neglect of duty" is a crime in some states.

[@CHMichael]

It should certainly be a reason to get fired with cause.

[@spidalack]

I'm looking forward to people in power getting actually held to that standard. But if you'll forgive me, I'm not holding my breath.

[@jimschneider2274]

We could really use that enforced in DC right now.....

[@ebr-fan1117]

@@jimschneider2274 States have "citizen's arrest" statutes. However, they are limited to circumstances, so not overly broad to encompass every crime. Here's the kicker with trying to arrest a politician... Politician's have made statutes that prohibit their arrest under certain circumstances as well.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@ebr-fan1117 You have to consider how such laws could be abused by anyone disgruntled by a politician or official. How would courts accommodate a huge increase in frivolous cases, for example? How would politicians and officials get any work done if they were constantly responding to frivolous cases? We’d need to expand the courts to handle the increased volume, hiring more judges and court workers. We might need to build new courthouses. You’re asking the public to bear an even greater burden because you think someone is not doing their job properly. There is also already a remedy in the case of elected officials. You replace them at the next election.

[@jennteal5265]

No matter one's politics - This is a win for the public. Regardless of who is in charge, the right or left, we all have the right to request these records and receive them in a timely manner.

[@CaptainXJ]

Us normal people who hate both the right and left never win.

[@paigemprice]

There is huge difference between the two

[@selanryn5849]

Why is it always Republicans who say this crap about "both sides"?

[@jennteal5265]

@@selanryn5849 Iowa is primarily republican respresentation at the moment. If this were California, I would have said the same thing.

[@FHL-Devils]

But it's not really a win, because nobody will be fired, and whatever settlement comes it will be from the public tax dollar.

[@racer72]

In a related story, some members of the State of Washington legislature tried to push through a law that make them exempt from the state's FOIA laws. The Attorney General pretty much shot down the law and it never went anywhere.

[@troodon1096]

Would kind of defeat the point of the law if they could just exempt themselves from it, wouldn't it? Can see why the AG said no to that...

[@thundercricket4634]

But they tried. And that should never be forgotten

[@John-tx1wk]

You can't blame them for trying, they were just following the example of the US Congress who generally exempted themselves from the federal Freedom of Information Act.

[@kingforaday8725]

WOW!!! What is surprising the AG didnt go along with them and add their name to the list!!!

[@thundercricket4634]

@@John-tx1wk "Can't blame them for trying..." Yes....yes I can.

[@eddiehuff7366]

So the governor has to follow the law... who woulda thunk it?

[@BondJames-vz5wk]

It's a slippery slope, next thing you know they will require the president and congress to obey the law! where will it end?

[@ostlandr]

Not in New York State. If the State puts X proposition on the ballot, and the voters soundly defeat it, then Gov. Hochul and the lickspittle Legislature will simply declare "Emergency Powers" and do it anyway.

[@xman4328]

Only some governors, many just run away and block all requests. I won't mention any names but one uses a TON of hair gel and another looks like a cave-woman...

[@stefandavenport1588]

@@xman4328 MTG isn't a Gov.

[@WitnessingTyranny]

Sununu ordered an unlawful arrest of the NH9 because they turned their back to him at his covid press conference. Absolute Defiance is pro se and it's been crazy good!

[@TheEMC99]

I think James Freeman covered a similar case. It's extremely frustrating. What are we paying taxes for if you can just deny our request and punish us for pushing the argument?

[@cabanissmedia2751]

James freeman fan here 👋 I love when he calls and trolls the " governmental officials" . 😂

[@RicardoSantos-oz3uj]

Because we are paying into an extortion racket and were lead to believe that the state is god.

[@JohnDoe-jq1br]

I can't even get the Los Angeles Sheriff's department to comply with a FOIA request. They claim that they are exempt from FOIA 😡😡😡😡😡😡

[@TheVuduYuDu]

Wow. If I were an attorney representing the governor's office I'd be embarrassed as hell to be associated with this case.

[@theyetirulrs]

Not only are the cases you present interesting and relevant, but the anecdotes you provide are priceless. Thank you!

[@russr]

"They argued that they could comply pretty much whenever they felt like it.".... much like the ATF

[@curtistic5724]

I wonder if they thought that the confidentiality of the records was itself confidential.

[@michaelburgus200]

You never know.

[@larrygriffis]

FOIA laws should have a response time included - don't respond within X days, the government entity is in violation.

[@ostlandr]

Used to be, if you wanted a Government document, and it was no issue, they just gave it to you. Now, EVERYTHING requires a FOIL request.

[@jame3shook]

[most] FOIA laws DO include a response time - to include the Iowa open records act.

[@baldthanos4614]

How reliable or dependable the US mail service is, you'll change your opinion on this view very shortly.

[@WitnessingTyranny]

Police and local gov withhold public records all across the country every day. All exposed and documented on auditor channels. It's why the gov propagandizes against them.

[@ostlandr]

@USANATION1 If your state/local government doesn't do this, count yourself very lucky.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

Governor should be removed for having to be told this. 👌

[@thisiscompletelyreta]

I’ve seen this sort of thing constantly from police agencies, usually over body cam footage. They do whatever they can to keep it hidden. And when they go to court and lose they’ll release a heavily edited copy.

[@dougbotimer8005]

I’m so disgusted by officials playing this kind of games with all kinds of issues, FOIA requests, CPL and other license applications, civil asset forfeiture….

[@joshuasweet688]

It would be like getting a ticket for not having registration, and then show up to court and saying I got registration the next day.

[@selanryn5849]

That's called a fix-it ticket.

[@VTwin4Christ]

They get pretty unhappy when you start requesting their email.

[@hauntedshadowslegacy2826]

If a cop comes up to me, tells me to put my hands behind my back, and I just stand there and stare at him? That's refusal. Even without a single word out of my mouth. The governor is ridiculous and delusional. We ain't gonna tolerate this 'rules for thee, not for me' nonsense.

[@windyswaim3832]

Steve Lehto has single-handedly reversed my opinion of attorneys to a far more positive one

[@chapa435ify]

Maybe some attorneys, certainly not all. Some of the stories he's covered have attorneys that would make you question your faith in all of humanity

[@toriless]

LEO are the enemy lawyers and judges protect us from.

[@sombojoe]

The law is so clear about their violation and that if the defendant was not a government entity, this video would be about 30 seconds long

[@nh251]

FOIA requests should have a maximum response time, unless it's dealing with classified information, or an active investigation. 30 days sounds reasonable. People need to be able to keep track of what lawmakers are doing.

[@KaiHenningsen]

... or show cause, for example, if there's a campaign actively trying to overwhelm them to push them past the limit, or a large percentage of their employees are sick, or something like that. But again, _show cause,_ that is, convince the court.

[@mikezupancic2182]

30 days is far longer than the law allows for most states.

[@chrisbudesa]

Every state has different requirements.

[@karlrovey]

The only time I can think of a FOIA request justifiably taking that long was when someone made an overly broad request for the school district in my hometown that required a search of every single book used in classes within the district and the school libraries. The request came from the state AG who was going on a fishing expedition for CRT.

[@pbfloyd46]

Bro, almost all freedom of information laws already include a timeline for delivering the records. Iowa is an outlier.

[@Vertraic]

Well, after scouring through the Iowa open records act text, I found a section that said: 4. Good-faith, reasonable delay by a lawful custodian in permitting the examination and copying of a government record is not a violation of this chapter if the purpose of the delay is any of the following: a. To seek an injunction under this section. b. To determine whether the lawful custodian is entitled to seek such an injunction or should seek such an injunction. c. To determine whether the government record in question is a public record, or confidential record. d. To determine whether a confidential record should be available for inspection and copying to the person requesting the right to do so. A reasonable delay for this purpose shall not exceed twenty calendar days and ordinarily should not exceed ten business days. The last sentence there gives a pretty good limit to how long they are allowed to delay...

[@jamessimms415]

State of Alabama as well as Auburn University (‘Awful Barn’. ‘The Barn’j are notorious for ignoring FOIA requests.

[@georgesheffield1580]

They like Georgia an Lousiana can't read

[@01cthompson]

Here in Connecticut a city has been refusing/ ignoring FOIA requests. It is now being discovered that our FOIA laws are somewhat toothless in terms of forcing the issue or penalizing anyone or entity.

[@ppgwhereeverett4412]

THIS is the 'True' information channel, Steve !! You're a Great Professor !! Keep 'em coming !

[@sjgavenger37]

I sent an email to the state of Florida asking for records and it took almost a year to get the records. The problem is I don't have the money to retain an attorney and file a suit.

[@kiabellie4987]

Feel for you. Lawyer fees are really expensive. The odds of succeeding against the state/counties/government even if you can prove it, are usually extremely low, here in Scandinavia it's even more difficult then in US, I think. Good luck with your case 🤞🍀

[@jlangevin65]

I live in Fort Worth, and I don't know if they've improved transparency, but at one time the city spent more than any other major city in Texas fighting FOIA requests. It was so much that it amounted to one full-time staff attorney in the city attorney's office.

[@Dpsnadress]

Here in Kansas.. our Kora law says "you must not require more then a name and address for public records" however.. the form that they require you to fill out makes you put in, name, address, phone # DOB, email, soc sec #, and a signature.. unless you provide all this info they won't send ANY info.. it's against the law to require the info.. yet they still do it..

[@ricksturdevant2901]

This is an excellent suite and excellent video in this day of Amendment Auditors And Cop Watch Auditors

[@GoCoyote]

If I ask my child to do his chores today, and he doesn't do them without asking if he can do them later for "reasons," he has refused to do them. He will then have to do the chores, along with "sanctions" for not doing them when asked.

[@598019001]

I'm going to be honest, My response to this is "let them fight" I hope they maul each other badly, not because I want either side to win, But because I want them both to hurt.

[@rogerweaver7686]

The Gov's theory has always been 'make it so hard on them that they give up'.

[@yt650]

I had some problems with the Pennsylvania State police, which I resolved at a hearing which ended up in my favor. It’s always nice to have friends, because after I handed them their butt, I met someone months later who has a friend who works at the state police barracks and doesn’t think much of what the troopers do there. So now I have some inside information when I want it as to what’s going on and how they are reacting to my campaign to let people know what thugs they are. It is not going over very well, but there’s nothing they can do about it because in the words of one of the lieutenants, we’ve already been burned by this guy once, do not retaliate against him. I don’t need to FOIA request, I just need a friend and apparently the secrets of the United States military can be had the same way.

[@timdowney6721]

Police are among the prime offenders when it comes to resisting FOIA requests. Makes sense, since they have a lot to cover up.

[@Matok1]

I feel like in any situation where you can reasonably prove that a defendant forced you into suing them to correct unlawful behavior, there should be fee shifting. Otherwise they just take the bet that they can break the law and you'll find it not worth the cost or to unaffordable to sue them. But that's just me thinking that justice should be available to everyone and not just those with deep pockets.

[@jackvphoenix8493]

Amen to that. In the US you can get all the justice you can afford. Some can afford a lot more than others.

[@MB-ig6gl]

A long time ago I was having problems with the local government. I was doing some looking and wondered why that had a legal department, with lawyers, yet paid millions to a private law company as well. Looked real fishy. So I did a FOIA request for the invoices used for payment for like 2 years. I work in Finance and knew that those documents could not be privileged since they were seen by accounting. The law firm filed with the state AG requesting not to supply them due to privilege, which was denied. So of course they then charged me either 5 cents or 25 cents per page (what ever state max allowed) for the copies. It was interesting reading. They of course used the non government lawyers for stuff they wanted to keep from prying eyes.

[@peteypete24a]

Public records are supposed to be easy to obtain

[@toriless]

You believe that fraud??? Dummy !

[@jboz1435]

The government has Weaponized its actions against ordinary citizens in so many ways it’s just incredible! I never got into politics, but at this level of manipulation I would’ve been good at it, but I chose the highroad. I had no idea when I learned all the stuff in high school that it was this manipulative. I just took their Kool-Aid at face value!

[@Hatbox948]

Didn't we all really? Big mistake.

[@Troy_Built]

You didn't learn about it because they also manipulate what and how things are taught in school.

[@joewilson3393]

The Arizona Senate changed their document retention to 30 days after losing a FOIA lawsuit related to the 2020 Election Audit. Florida has one of the best (for the people) FOIA laws, but since becoming governor DeSantis has added tons of exceptions to the law.

[@timdowney6721]

Funny how Republicans don’t like sunlight.

[@rogerringold616]

De Santi He reminds of fertilizer.

[@thehuguenot5615]

Examples?

[@Lahng_Blackduke]

​@@thehuguenot5615 Do you not know how Google works?

[@thehuguenot5615]

@@Lahng_Blackduke I'm not searching for him

[@deemcc7784]

Ty again Lehto!!

[@mistermudpie]

I live in Romania. Here, the rule is that in any type of civil case the parties may ask for attorney fees and the loser will pay the winners's attorney fees, within reason. There are guidelines to determine what fees are reasonable, depending on the situation. There may be some exceptions to this rule, but I am not aware of them. So, the idea is that if you did anything to me that made me sue you and I won, or you sued me and lost, you better be prepared to pay for my attorney.

[@Troy_Built]

Loser pays law have been proposed many times but most of the politicians are also lawyers so they don't go anywhere.

[@robertsteinbach7325]

We don't always have loser pays in civil courts but it was starting to become very popular in many civil courts a few decades ago in America. With America being a Federal Union of States and each of the 50 States essentially being a sovereign Commonwealth (Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts) or a sovereign Federation of Counties (or Parishes in Louisiana) each court does things a little differently.

[@SchemingGoldberg]

That's normal throughout the entire world. It's only America where the winner has to pay attorney fees.

[@toriless]

Here is is limited to certain cases but it should be fees for any case BUT upon court approval to avoid nuisance suits.

[@Vanagandson]

Kim Reynolds also has two DWIs and pushed through changes to precedent to allow herself to run for governor; she's definitely more than willing to give herself more leeway than she expects out of anyone else. This is completely in character.

[@dfry1912]

Excellent as always

[@justacinnamonbun8658]

Can you imagine what would happen to someone that gets a traffic citation and doesn't pay it for 12 months? But when you request something of the government....... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@paulforester6996]

I used to live in Iowa, and I have no doubt that the state hides its corruption and child abuse. My son never had a chance there because of the corruption, allowing my ex to use her cousin to declare him autistic so she could cash in on his social security. The courts wouldn't even look at my evidence, proving what I stated. He is now dependent on Iowas entitlement services because he never finished high school because of his mother. She even got me audited because she didn't follow the agreement. These are but a few reasons out of many that make me hate the state of Iowa.

[@KB4QAA]

Ever heard of a GED? Ahem.

[@paulforester6996]

@Pelican1984 got that from Iowa. Another reason to hate the state. You just further prove my point.

[@paulforester6996]

@FISH ON I have allergies also. I know how you feel. I had my eyes swell up while driving many times there.

[@Troy_Built]

You think Iowa is corrupt move to IL.

[@ricklowers8873]

@@Troy_Built Jut let me know if you wanna come…I’ll gladly sell you my house to escape the People’s Republic of Illinois ‼️😳

[@beetlebailey]

That’s right you better come off of the police report in that video!!

[@elanahammer1076]

Those can help absolve all parties. 🤔❤🇺🇸

[@snappa77]

🥇

[@k9raven960]

My father explained to me many, many years ago that When discussing government or business, if the question starts with "Why", the answer is always money and/or power, and where one of those two goes, the other follows closely behind.

[@tjdacatlady1920]

You, sir, are a ROCKSTAR!!!😂❤

[@PrayingPanda]

This is exactly what NY state did when it came to gun carry permits. EXACTLY. NY tried to say that now that they changed the law after over a century of infringement (but only after multiple lawsuits and a case before SCOTUS) the case should be rendered moot. They prevailed the first time, the second gave us the landmark Bruen decision.

[@peppermintpig974]

The moment the lawsuit is approved and on the calendar that's it, attorney fees are on the table.

[@timdowney6721]

The lengths the Republican governor of Iowa will go to to avoid accountability.😠

[@michman2]

Another great video, Steve.

[@elanahammer1076]

Agreed 🤔❤🇺🇸

[@paulstough2995]

I live in Iowa, and with Republicans holding a majority in the Legislature, and the Governorship for the last six years, they believe they are of the mind that they dont have to follow the law.

[@twopairofkids]

You had me at comply. ❤

[@darkhelmet4279]

A win for the good guys for once!

[@johnmcmahon9515]

+ Attorney fees! A now former neighbor was fined by our association $50 he spent years fighting that fine! when the attorney fee's were added to the judgement his cost became $27,000! He ended up losing his property and getting evicted! OVER $50!

[@Andi_Doci]

Steve is the client's lawyer, very admirable man right there. I wish I ever had a lawyer like Steve, life would have been a lot easier for me.

[@realtijuana5998]

_Il n'y a qu'une façon de dire oui, c'est «oui», toutes les autres veulent dire «non»._ - Talleyrand

[@Hatbox948]

Very wise words.

[@matthoffman8162]

Très bien.

[@stephjezo6470]

Governor's office here in MI is "exempt" from FOIA.

[@nothing4mepls973]

If the government can't show their work, how can they purport to be serving the public?

[@Hopefullyhelping5050]

Thank you

[@FnixGhod1]

It shouldn't be up to the courts to order politicians to follow the law!

[@davidwalling3499]

Government officials think they are above the law...sounds like Governor and his office in cover up!

[@loosemoose9799]

It is amazing how public servants have to be forced to turn over public records. I requested documents from the recorders office to help with a criminal investigation and the woman refused to produce them. A call to the circuit court judge changed her mind. When she hung up, she produced the records quickly. She was notorious for not producing records until forced to do so. They like their little fiefdoms.

[@grantyboy0311]

Love the show.

[@elanahammer1076]

This is interesting in so many aspects. It reminds me of how things can and sometimes should be resolved before a challenge gets bigger than it needs to be. I absolutely do not blame an attorney for countering with attorney fees. This sounds like a process where denial, denial and more denial. When maybe a better approach would have been logic, logic, logic. Kind of like the old saying lawyer, lawyer, lawyer. Lol Thank you 🤔❤🇺🇸

[@bradjohnson4787]

Ha ha ha . . . you're fired! Vote the governor out. This is why freedom of the press is so important.

[@CHMichael]

Again - taxpayer get stuck with the legal fees. Little personal responsibility please. Make them pay half out of their pocket ..... for ignoring it.

[@skittlemenow]

What a unique thing for the supreme court to ask the government to follow the law. They are usually so busy arbitrarily writing their own laws to do their actual job.

[@rogerhargrave9952]

I suppose i must say it to the Governor... "TASTE IT"

[@bomarc]

WA state has a (nice) law about unpaid wages; triple DAMAGES + attorneys fees. I had to use it once. There is another part about the law; that my lawyer said once (that I didn't quite catch); when a LAWYER (not layperson) notifies the party that there is a claim against them; the triple damages kick in; it doesn't actually need to be filed in court. Enters into another level of discussion (way off topic); "damages" vs "pay" (law says "damages" - or original pay is still at issue); and lawyer fees can be added; so if I enter into an agreement - lawyer gets 40%; do the total fees go up for the lawyer costs?

[@tracker001]

So Politicians slow walking paper ! My next question is Who is deciding confidential and WHY ?

[@binbashbuddy]

The larger issue is not if they supplied what they were required to supply once they were sued. If there is a seeming policy only to supply what they are required to supply if they are sued it turns into something different. At that point it starts looking like someone is conspiring to break the law unless they're actually sued and then claim they followed the law because they did after being sued what the law requires they should have done without being sued. This seems to be very common, and I think (though I'm not a jurist) that it's a criminal act.

[@heroesandzeros7802]

Incompetence and corruption goes all the way to the top.

[@MichaelHagberg]

What's in front of the unicycle? Looks like a wad of hundreds.

[@DaveBigDawg]

Looks like it

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

Sorry to disappoint, but that is a small round sticker that has been laying there for some time, even when Steve showed us the wad of fake 100s.😎

[@Brookler]

What I like about Steve is that it's clear he's a good guy AND a good lawyer who understands what law he practices really well

[@johnpalmer5131]

Reminds me of asset forfeiture, the government takes your stuff and then forces you to spend money (filing a civil law suit) to get your stuff (money, etc.) …

[@user-ks5cg5cd7m]

Sounds like Pennsylvania. Politicians & governor go ahead and do whatever they want and then wait to be sued.

[@TheMadSmoker]

Your def a great lawyer

[@ostlandr]

One consequence of FOIA that doesn't get mentioned is that, prior to FOIA, if a citizen requested a Government record, and there was no issue, they would simply receive it. Now, many governments require a FOIA request for EVERY record.

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

Yeah they require it for everything and then claim that they're slow to respond because they had too many foia requests LOL

[@sapperveteran245]

Not true. You can request verbally and receive without filling out a form. You don't even need to fully complete a FIOA form. All you must provide for most states is 1. Cearly state what you are requesting. 2. Where to be send.

[@biggseye]

The thing I find the most humorous about this is that it was probably the state AG that advised them to not respond. It is a great example of great laws being made useless by the actions of those that it applies to. I am actually surprised that the court did this. normally the court tends to find in favor of the governmental agency involved. Hopefully this is cost a number f these governmental officials a big chunk of money, but I will not count on it.

[@deemcc7784]

Oh, yeah! Damn right !

[@leofredette19]

The governor isn't above the Law.

[@edg8535]

Most politicians think they are.

[@ostlandr]

That's the theory. But as Casey Stengel famously said, "In theory, theory and practice are the same- but in practice, they're different."

[@elanahammer1076]

No one is above the law. In my humble opinion people forget that. 🤔❤🇺🇸

[@DEMONOFLOVEANDDEATH]

Bless the Lehto

[@kuromameshiba4418]

Delay is a form of refusal/non-compliance; I learned that in a crisis prevention course. Once I recognize it, I then consider reasonableness, which includes cost to me, and then an appropriate course of action. If I incur loss because of your unreasonable delay, you should be held responsible for the cost.

[@stillraven9415]

I submit that that official is corrupt and should be kicked out of office.

[@robertsteinbach7325]

I am waiting for Florida State Supreme Court to have to chose between making a decision like this against DeSantis or finding for DeSantis and clogging up the court system. It is going to happen some time soon.

[@lilsuzq32]

You spelled DeSenseless wrong...

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

Why with hold or redact FOIA documents unless you are trying to cover something up ?

[@jame3shook]

As a [hated] 'bureaucrat', I have recommended denying information as a response to several FOIA inquires related bridge infrastructure...thanks Patriot Act.

[@watfordjc]

Aren't a lot of bridges in America under-maintained to the point they are at risk of failing? Were any of those bridges "structurally deficient"?

[@justinmurphy7173]

State secrets? I can't think of anything a state does that should be secret unless it is an open investigation.

[@enriquekahn9405]

Amazed this actually had to go to the State Supreme Court.

[@notjimpickens7928]

i like steve, hes very informative.

[@deemcc7784]

This happens all the time! They sometimes go years. And may ask for 20k as with state and federal parks for disclosure. Never get it. Try! sue!!

[@deborahcollis9814]

In my country they have 28 days to produce the information or give reasonable reasons why they are refusing. If they don't comply they can and people have gone to jail.

[@franciscampagna2711]

"I AM THE LAW!" - Governor

[@patrickcoreilly]

Justice delayed is Justice denied.

[@natelorimer8567]

They coerced for the info. " you got to sue us to obey the law"

[@kennethstaszak9990]

That sword is too sharp for you Benjamin! Get away from there!