A New Jersey Superior Court judge has rejected a motion to reconsider a decision she made that allows out-of-state residents access to public records under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
The Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC) filed a motion Nov. 11, 2016, asking Superior Court Assignment Judge Georgia Curio, to reconsider her Oct. 24, 2016, decision because the state Government Records Council (GRC) changed its position, saying it is "proper to deny access to out-of-state requestors."
The EIRC also submitted two court decisions they became aware of after their case was presented to Curio where the judges ruled that out-of-state requestors did not have any rights to the benefits of the Act.
Peter Heimlich, an Atlanta, Ga.-based investigative blogger, filed a lawsuit in June 2016 challenging the EIRC's denial for records filed under OPRA because he was not a state resident.
Attorney C.J. Griffin, of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, represented Heimlich. She specializes in First Amendment law.Also see Judge: Anyone May Access Records by Karen Knight, Cape May County Herald, October 21, 2016 and I won my NJ public records lawsuit -- here's my attorney's statement, The Sidebar, October 13, 2016.
Congratulations and big thanks to my attorney C.J. Griffin and her associate Michael Zoller!
