Government officials cant use private devices to hide texts and emails, court rules
State and local government officials can no longer shield from scrutiny their communications about public business by using private phones and accounts, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, handing a major victory to media and transparency advocates.
The state’s high court issued a unanimous decision, saying the public has the right to view messages about government business conducted in that fashion.
“A city employee’s communications related to the conduct of public business do not cease to be public records just because they were sent or received using a personal account,” Justice Carol Corrigan wrote in the ruling. “Sound public policy supports this result.”
The use of private email accounts by public officials has faced scrutiny in recent years even as other states treat the emails as public records.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article136123468.html
