Your Right to Know

For four decades, courts have held that plaintiffs in open records lawsuits are entitled to costs and legal fees — whether they win the case or "voluntarily" turn over the records after being sued.

But last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upended the latter path to recovery — a move that open government advocates worry will be a blow to transparency. In the most recent "Your Right to Know" column from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Wisconsin Transparency Project president Tom Kamenick looks to what might be next in the case. 

Most of the time, public officials in Wisconsin obey the state’s openness laws. Sometimes, they need a little prodding from the courts. But the recent conduct of Robin Vos and Michael Gableman is something altogether new, and deeply disturbing.

In the latest “Your Right to Know” column, Wisconsin Freedom of Informational Council president Bill Lueders shares the winners of the 2022 Openness Awards, or Opees.

In the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council's latest "Your Right to Know" column, Wisconsin Watch managing editor Dee J. Hall writes about the Wisconsin Local Media Advertising Tax Credit, which she says deserves to pass, because preserving the public’s right to know hinges on keeping local news outlets — and the local businesses that advertise with them — alive and well. The column is available for republication and can be downloaded here.