Civic · 6 pages · 12 min
Why exemptions exist
Record exemptions withhold named categories because legislatures judged that some disclosures would do a distinct harm.
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From the opening
Exemptions are categories written into an openness law, naming records an agency may or must withhold from a public request. They exist because the same legislature that declared disclosure as the default also judged that some releases would harm privacy, an investigation, candid advice, or security more than secrecy would harm accountability. The opening covers named interests limit the default, redaction can release the rest, and some closures expire on their own.
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Inside
- Named interests limit the default
- Redaction can release the rest
- Some closures expire on their own
- Embarrassment is not listed
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Public records exemptions
- Redaction under open-records laws