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Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Devoted to protecting Wisconsin's tradition of open government* * * * * * * * * Contact President Bill Lueders at [email protected].

September's "Your Right to Know" column concerns the ability of clerks of court to prohibit the public from using person...
09/01/2026

September's "Your Right to Know" column concerns the ability of clerks of court to prohibit the public from using personal electronic devices to make copies of court records and thereby save copy costs.
Each month we deliver this column on open records and open meetings issues. You'll find it republished in newspapers and webs across Wisconsin. This month's piece is from Bill Lueders, president of the Council.

September: Let the public copy court records Uncategorized September 1, 2026September 1, 2026WisFOIC A few weeks ago, Wisconsin State Journal reporter Chris Rickert was using his cell phone to scan records in the office of the Dane County Clerk of Circuit Court, when an office staffer informed him t...

Our latest "Your Right to Know" column is from Council member Chali Pittman, regarding the Wisconsin Ethics Commission's...
08/03/2026

Our latest "Your Right to Know" column is from Council member Chali Pittman, regarding the Wisconsin Ethics Commission's improved portal for obtaining campaign finance information on state candidates.

August: Campaign finance site a big improvement 2026 Columns August 3, 2026August 3, 2026Chali Pittman The Wisconsin Ethics Commission’s new dashboard tries to make campaign finance information more accessible to the public. It cost $285,000 to build, and will cost more than $270,000 to maintain o...

Here is a statement from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council on today's state Supreme Court's ruling in Wiscons...
07/07/2026

Here is a statement from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council on today's state Supreme Court's ruling in Wisconsin Voter Alliance v. Secord:

"The Court's decision today took important steps to clarify the standard for deciding public records law cases, which the Council had requested. In doing so, it discarded an outdated standard for public records cases and reduced barriers to bringing and winning these cases in the future. That is real progress.
The Council did not take a position on the outcome of this case, though it is always disappointing when access to public information is curtailed. And while the court's decision is narrowly tailored and should not have a huge impact, we appreciate the dissent issued by Justices Ziegler and Bradley, which strongly affirms the public's right to information."

Here is a link to the story from WKOW...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by a conservative activist to obtain guardianship records in an effort to find ineligible voters in the presidential battleground state. The liberal-controlled

July's "Your Right To Know": Madison resident and blogger Alex Saloutos writes about how ordinary citizens can successfu...
07/01/2026

July's "Your Right To Know": Madison resident and blogger Alex Saloutos writes about how ordinary citizens can successfully push back against wrongful denials of open records requests.

July: Anyone can lay down the law on open records 2026 Columns Uncategorized July 1, 2026Alex Saloutos I am not a lawyer. I am a Madison resident who is curious about how the city spends money and whether it follows its own rules. A few years ago, I started writing a blog about Madison city governme...

This month's "Your Right To Know" is by Peter Cameron of The Badger Project, concerning controversial efforts to obtain ...
06/01/2026

This month's "Your Right To Know" is by Peter Cameron of The Badger Project, concerning controversial efforts to obtain a list of all law enforcement officers in Wisconsin.

June: Names of police should be public Uncategorized June 1, 2026June 1, 2026Peter Cameron In 2024, a sheriff’s deputy working for the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department was forced out for being lousy at his job. But even though the deputy, Cristian Morales, was flagged in the state’s negat...

The "Your Right to Know" column from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council for May 2026 was written by Council me...
05/04/2026

The "Your Right to Know" column from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council for May 2026 was written by Council member Tom Kamenick. He suggests a way to encourage records custodians to make faster and more efficient responses.

May: How to solve high record costs and long delays 2026 Columns May 4, 2026Tom Kamenick The two most common complaints I hear from people seeking public records are “Why is it taking so long?” and “Why does it cost so much?” Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to mount a successful legal ...

April's "Your Right to Know": Jump start your open records requests with these resources from Council Vice President Ch...
04/01/2026

April's "Your Right to Know": Jump start your open records requests with these resources from Council Vice President Christa Westerberg.

April: How to jump start your records requests 2026 Columns April 1, 2026Christa Westerberg Wisconsin’s Open Records law gives requesters the right to request records from their government. After all, as the law states, “a representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate.” Bu...

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