Open & Shut

A collection of notable quotations

From the Spring 2011 issue of The News Media & The Law, page 32.

“We trust that AT&T will not take it personally.”

— U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in the 8-0 opinion in FCC v. AT&T in which the Court ruled that corporations do not have “personal” privacy rights under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

“I rarely check and almost never respond to work e-mail because of the open records law.”

— Mary Anne Carter, adviser to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, in an email to the office of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Carter sent the email from a private account.

“We understand, obviously, there has been this perceived tension out there between Governor Scott’s press office and the press. But we want that perception to change, and we want people to know that we are happy to work with the media.”

— Lane Wright, Scott’s press secretary.

“It is clear that some of the materials filed under seal should not be. For example, Exhibit 12 . . . is a media release. The notion that a notice designed to reach the public is worthy of protection is hogwash.”

— U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert, questioning the parties’ basis for filing certain documents under seal in City of Greenville, Ill. v. Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc.

“This language puts West Virginia at the very forefront of the country in recognizing the value of student journalism and the importance of protecting students who are increasingly doing professional-caliber work.”

— Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, on the West Virginia shield law, which was signed by acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in April.