Tuesday, March 19, 2019  6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Open government laws ensure that citizens can access records created by the governments that serve them, preventing secrecy and corruption. However, many important exemptions exist under these laws to protect individual privacy, national security, law enforcement, and the ability of executive officials to deliberate and make informed decisions, among many other concerns.

How do state and federal laws balance interests like these against the public's right to know? And how might these laws be improved to better accomplish the promise of open government, while avoiding its perils?

Class covers:

• The importance of government transparency, and the goals it is meant to accomplish
• Personnel files of police and other government officials accused of misconduct – secret or not?
• When a president may claim "executive privilege" to keep records secret
• Can records of criminal investigations be disclosed? What if they involve a major government official?
• Practical tips on litigating cases under the California Public Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act

Presented by: Kelly Aviles, Prof. Aaron Caplan, L.A. County Inspector General Max Huntsman, and Dan Laidman

Earn 1.5 hours general MCLE credit

Registration fee: FREE

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.