The public's ability to access public records is at the foundation of a healthy democracy. Like voting, public records are an important tool for people to hold public officials and the government accountable.
Public records belong to the public, and are essential to holding public officials accountable to the people they are sworn to serve. Information in public records is vital to making educated choices at the ballot box, evaluating state agencies, and protecting against government officials’ bad actions. It is also critical to have access to government records so we do not have to rely upon the government's narrative.
Scroll down to see our latest public records requests and the documents we uncovered.
We learned of plans to fingerprint students at a public high school. We immediately filed a records request to learn more and the school reversed course.
In 2021, the Human Rights Defense Center requested records relating to a legal settlement in the Kennebec County Jail. After refusing to release the public records, we sued the government entity that refused to comply with HRDC's lawful request.