Wisconsin Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on Important Public Records Case
On September 18, 2015,the Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments inNew Richmond News v. City of New Richmond. Video and audio of the oral arguments are available on Wisconsin Eye here.
This case involves the interplay between the Wisconsin Public Records Law, which generally provides for the disclosure of municipal records to the public, and the Driver’s Privacy and Protection Act (DPPA), which provides for the protection of personally identifying information in motor vehicle records. The circuit court held that the New Richmond News was entitled to unredacted records from the City of New Richmond Police Department. After receiving the circuit court decision, the parties filed a joint petition to bypass the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and move directly to review by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted the petition for review in May. Stafford's Municipal Law blog post discussing the City’s decision to appeal is available here.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision in the New Richmondcase will provide some much-needed guidance regarding the interplay between the DPPA and Wisconsin Public Records Law.
