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Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2006

State and Local Government Law

University of Massachusetts School of Law

Public records

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Arkansas's Public Records Retention Program: Records Retention As A Cornerstone Of Citizenship And Self-Government, Richard J. Peltz-Steele Jan 2006

Arkansas's Public Records Retention Program: Records Retention As A Cornerstone Of Citizenship And Self-Government, Richard J. Peltz-Steele

Faculty Publications

This article first provides background, charting the scope of record retention in relation to the freedom of information, then outlining record retention through its history and development in the federal government, through its general principles and modes of practice, through a sketch of the problems that have arisen specially in the electronic era, and through an overview of its development at the state level. The article then describes the recent history of record retention law in Arkansas, up to and including the initiative enacted by the General Assembly in 2005, and the process and product of a state working group …


The Arkansas Proposal On Access To Court Records: Upgrading The Common Law With Electronic Freedom Of Information Norms, Richard J. Peltz-Steele, Joi L. Leonard, Amanda J. Andrews Jan 2006

The Arkansas Proposal On Access To Court Records: Upgrading The Common Law With Electronic Freedom Of Information Norms, Richard J. Peltz-Steele, Joi L. Leonard, Amanda J. Andrews

Faculty Publications

The law and practice of court record access across United States jurisdictions is in a confused state. Public access to records in the hands of government, including court records, is a desirable norm of public policy; on this point, there is universal agreement. But there is disagreement on questions as fundamental as whether public access to court records is founded in constitutional law, or only in common law; and the extent to which court record access is the province of the courts or the legislature. And most importantly, there is widely divergent disagreement about what circumstances warrant restriction on public …