Jeff Roberts

Bennett trustees' decision to pull town's advertising from newspapers ‘egregiously unconstitutional’ - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A lawyer’s letter urges the Bennett trustees to rescind their “egregiously unconstitutional” decision to pull the town’s advertising from two Eastern Plains newspapers because they didn’t like an arti...

A lawyer’s letter urges the Bennett trustees to rescind their “egregiously unconstitutional” decision to pull the town’s advertising from two Eastern Plains newspapers because they didn’t like an article about a sexual assault that allegedly happened at a middle school.

Colorado Transparency News - 8/5/2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: bodycam footage fees and access; video pilot for legislative committees; Title IX defamation suits; DoBetterDNVR; Press Forward grant; ICE subpoenas; public broadcasting cuts; more.

Video pilot for legislative committees begins with briefings about impact of federal tax and spending bill - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition People who tuned into July 30 state budget briefings for Colorado legislative leaders saw video and slides — rather than just getting an audio feed — as part of a pilot program that goes through Oct. ...

Anyone tuning in to the presentations online could see not only a wide shot of the committee but the charts and graphs that speakers were referencing. Previously, you would see nothing but an illustration of the state Capitol building under the words “Audio Only.”

The legislature made it easier to obtain police bodycam footage in Colorado, but barriers to access remain - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Enacted five years ago following the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act has made it easier to obtain police body-worn camera...

Enacted five years ago following the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act has made it easier to obtain police body-worn camera footage. But some barriers to access remain.

Colorado Supreme Court protects Title IX complainants from defamation claims - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition In a landmark ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court declared that statements made in connection with a formal Title IX investigation conducted by a public school district or university cannot serve as th...

In a landmark ruling, the CO Supreme Court declared that statements made in connection with a formal Title IX investigation conducted by a public school district or university cannot serve as the basis for a defamation claim or any other civil action.

Colorado Transparency News - July 15, 2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: a state constitutional right to know; COA body-cam footage ruling; dismissal of libel lawsuit over "furries"; immigration court; crowd control data; police violence data; public comment; more.

Appeals court: Children’s Code does not bar public disclosure of blurred body-cam footage showing Lakewood officers killing 17-year-old robbery suspect - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Colorado’s Children’s Code does not prohibit the public disclosure of blurred body-worn camera footage of Lakewood police shooting and killing a 17-year-old robbery suspect in 2023, the Colorado Court...

Colorado’s Children’s Code does not prohibit the public disclosure of blurred body-worn camera footage of Lakewood police shooting and killing a 17-year-old robbery suspect in 2023, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

Colorado Court of Appeals orders dismissal of libel lawsuit against newspaper over ‘furries’ story - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition The Colorado Court of Appeals ordered the dismissal of a libel case against the Arvada Press because plaintiff Jeffco Kids First failed to show “actual malice” by the newspaper or that statements made...

The Colorado Court of Appeals on Thursday ordered the dismissal of a libel case against the Arvada Press because plaintiff Jeffco Kids First failed to show “actual malice” by the newspaper or that statements made in an article by reporter Rylee Dunn “were materially false.”

Should the right to know be enshrined in Colorado’s constitution? - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Colorado’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadly stating that “every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject.” Should it a...

Colorado’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadly stating that “every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject.”

Should it also guarantee freedom of information?

Colorado Transparency News - 6/23/2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: legislative committee video streaming; Aurora PD body-cam footage; voter database privacy; public media funding; canceling public comment; "negative" info at historic sites; more.

Video livestreaming pilot for interim committee meetings of Colorado legislature set to begin Aug. 1 - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Colorado legislative leaders voted 4-1 to test video coverage of General Assembly committee meetings in five rooms of the state Capitol complex from August to November.

Colorado legislative leaders voted 4-1 Wednesday to test video coverage of General Assembly committee meetings in five rooms of the state Capitol complex from August to November. #coleg #copolitics

Judge: Aurora PD must release all unedited body-cam footage of May 2024 shooting of Kilyn Lewis - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A judge ordered Aurora to release all unedited body-worn camera footage of police shooting and killing Kilyn Lewis, finding that the city denied 9NEWS’ requests for the video in violation of Colorado'...

A judge Monday ordered Aurora to release all unedited body-worn camera footage of police shooting and killing Kilyn Lewis, finding that the city denied 9NEWS’ requests for the video in violation of Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act.

Bennett trustees pull town's advertising from newspapers over ‘distasteful’ article about alleged sex assault at school - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition The town of Bennett is pulling its municipal advertising from two weekly newspapers on the Eastern Plains because board members did not like an article about a sexual assault that allegedly happened i...

“The right to make editorial decisions about what to cover and how is a fundamental right of news publishers. Attempts by the government to chill reporting cross a dangerous line.”

DougCo residents plan to appeal judge’s ruling that commissioners did not violate open meetings law - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Three Douglas County residents plan to appeal a judge’s order rejecting their claims that county commissioners had “run roughshod” over the Colorado Open Meetings Law by discussing public business in ...

Three Douglas County residents plan to appeal a judge’s order rejecting their claims that county commissioners had “run roughshod” over the Colorado Open Meetings Law by discussing public business in a series of private, unnoticed meetings.

Colorado Transparency News - 5/15/2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: 2025 legislative session wrap-up; no override of CORA bill veto; Colorado's press shield law; Denver City Council retreat; Aurora City Council public comment; suspicious child death; RTD CORA fees; more. mailchi.mp/70857d4f3956...

Wrap-up: Veto of CORA bill, passage of NIL and wildlife-damage compensation measures marked 2025 Colorado legislative session - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Lawmakers made another unsuccessful attempt to weaken the Colorado Open Records Act during the 2025 state legislative session.

CFOIC's wrap-up of the 2025 Colorado legislative session.

Lawmakers drop effort to override veto of CORA bill that would have let governments take more time to process requests — except for those made by journalists. - Colorado Freedom of Information Coaliti... Gov. Jared Polis’ veto of a bill to extend Colorado Open Records Act response deadlines for requests made by the public and businesses will stand after legislators Friday abandoned their effort to ove...

Gov. Jared Polis’ veto of a bill to extend Colorado Open Records Act response deadlines for requests made by the public and businesses will stand after legislators Friday abandoned their effort to override it. #coleg #copolitics

Colorado Transparency News - 5/1/2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: CFOIC motion in suppressed private judge case; online clearinghouse for pre-introduced bills; video coverage of legislative committees; Polis veto of CORA bill; mom wins open meetings lawsuit; open meetings lawsuit against Dougco commissioners; more.

Senators kill proposed online clearinghouse for pre-introduced Colorado legislation - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Colorado senators narrowly defeated a bill to create an online clearinghouse of pre-introduced legislative proposals in between sessions of the General Assembly.

Colorado senators Friday narrowly defeated a bill to create an online clearinghouse of pre-introduced legislative proposals in between sessions of the General Assembly.

CFOIC asks private Colorado judge to set aside order that makes an entire case file — and the order itself — off-limits to the public - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is asking a private judge to set aside a suppression order that makes an entire divorce case file unavailable to the public.

The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is asking a private judge to set aside a suppression order that makes an entire divorce case file unavailable to the public. A recent @denvergazette.com series on private judges highlighted this and other cases.

Colorado Transparency News - 4/18/2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: CORA bill vetoed; metro district transparency; body-cam footage court case; councilmember spills executive session info; Parks and Wildlife settles open meetings lawsuit; more. #coleg #copolitics

Concerned about creating ‘three classes of open records requests,’ Polis vetoes CORA bill   - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Writing that “all legitimate requests for public transparency” under the Colorado Open Records Act “should be treated equally under the law,” Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday vetoed a bill that gave gover...

Gov. Polis on Thursday vetoed a bill that gave government entities more time to respond to requests made by the public and businesses but kept deadlines the same for journalists.
coloradofoic.org/concerned-ab...

Colorado court case about disclosure of police body-cam footage focuses on when an ‘incident’ begins and ends - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A judge is examining how much body-worn camera footage must be provided to the public when there is an incident of alleged misconduct by law enforcement.

A judge is examining how much body-worn camera footage must be provided to the public when there is an incident of alleged misconduct by law enforcement.

CFOIC asks Polis to veto bill that extends CORA response deadlines - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Although some provisions in SB 25-077 would help requesters of public records in small ways, overall the bill creates additional unnecessary barriers for people seeking to gain a better understanding ...

CFOIC asked @govofco.bsky.social to veto SB 25-077: "Overall the bill creates additional unnecessary barriers for people seeking to gain a better understanding of state and local government activities in Colorado, which is the very purpose of CORA."

Colorado Transparency News - 4/7/2025 Newsletter of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

Colorado Transparency News: ICE raid records; CORA bill passes; an "unfortunate trend"; a $25.4 million CORA request; RTD derailments; Denver officials using Signal; funeral home inspections made secret; private judges; more. #coleg #copolitics

Colorado legislature passes bill letting governments take more time to process records requests — except for those made by journalists - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A bill that extends Colorado Open Records Act response times for public and commercial requesters is headed to Gov. Jared Polis.

A bill that extends CORA response times for public and commercial requesters is headed to Gov. Polis. CFOIC argued against that provision because research-and-retrieval fees already are a significant barrier to obtaining public records in Colorado.

A $25.4 million CORA request - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition The bill from the Pikes Peak Library District in El Paso County wasn’t $25,000. It was $25 million. More precisely, it was $25,377,971.43.

Think your CORA request was expensive? Read about this $25.4 million estimate for records from a library district in El Paso County.

A $25.4 million CORA request - Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition The bill from the Pikes Peak Library District in El Paso County wasn’t $25,000. It was $25 million. More precisely, it was $25,377,971.43.

A records requester was "shocked" to get a $25,000 cost estimate from a library district, but she had misread the email. The estimate was $25 million. "It's just crazy, crazy, obviously crazy."

Denver mayor and staff used encryption app to discuss migrant crisis, then auto-deleted messages. Trump policies prompted move, says spokesperson Denver's mayor and 14 of his top advisors, appointees and lawyers nicknamed themselves "Strike Force" and communicated about the migrant crisis through an end-to end encryption app that then proceeded...

Public officials’ use of ephemeral messaging apps undermines the purpose of CORA, which is to ensure access to the records of government so that the public can be informed and hold officials accountable.

In DC for Sunshine Fest. #SunshineWeek