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AG Abbott disregards Public Information Act to conceal Governor's daily schedule

While this isn't a criminal justice story, I can't help but indulge in an off-topic post to express disapprobation at the Attorney General's blatant disregard for their own open records standards to allow Governor Rick Perry to conceal his personal schedule from the public.Last week Attorney General Greg Abbott's office approved a request by Governor Perry's staff (see the July 10 letter ruling) to conceal the Governor's prospective daily schedule from an Austin TV station, even with times and locations omitted, citing "special circumstances" under the Public Information Act in order to protect Perry's "privacy rights."I've received appointment calendar information from public officials in numerous open records requests over the last two decades, so I'm fairly familiar with the historic standard surrounding such information, which the AG letter articulated quite adequately:This office considers "special circumstances" to refer to a very narrow set of situations in which the release of information would likely cause someone to face "an imminent threat of physical danger...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on July 15, 2008 (boomark / email).