State appeals court says N.J. may deny access to public records
Government agencies in New Jersey may deny access to public records by saying they can “neither confirm nor deny” their existence, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.
New Jersey is now the second state to adopt as law what one veteran media lawyer called “a broad and damaging secrecy tool” first used by the U.S. government during the Cold War to protect its national security interests.
The other state, Indiana, has authorized “neither confirm nor deny” responses through a statute, not a court ruling.
The three-judge panel of the Appellate Division ruled Wednesday against North Jersey Media Group, a division of Gannett that publishes The Record and other newspapers.
Read more: http://www.northjersey.com/news/state-appeals-court-says-n-j-may-deny-access-to-public-records-1.1652513