AP: Vermont Judge Rules on Dean's Sealed Records

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48044-2004Feb17.html

The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 17, 2004; 1:05 PM

MONTPELIER, Vt. - The state must provide an index of Howard Dean's sealed gubernatorial records and explain why they should remain closed, a judge ruled Tuesday.

In his decision, Superior Court Judge Alan W. Cook said neither Dean nor the secretary of state had authority to agree to a blanket seal covering 145 boxes of records from Dean's 11 years as governor.

The judge said Dean and the state must identify the roughly 600,000 sealed documents and describe why each of them is protected by executive privilege.

"Howard Dean is now getting a lesson in government openness," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, which filed the suit seeking to open the papers.

An appeal of Cook's ruling to the state Supreme Court is likely.

more...

[boxster]

1. It's a little late now.

Six months ago would have been nice.

[xultar]

2. How many years will it take for the index to be complete n/t

[papau]

5. Texas says Bush open records should indexed by 2016

but they are fast down in Texas - so I do look forward to the first open records obtained copy of the Ken Lay correspondence that we found out about from the Enron Court records.

Those folks in Vermont will be much slower to reveal the thank you notes from Ben and Jerry's Montpelier store's grand opening.

[maddezmom]

3. it'll be in court a long time. n/t

[damnyankee2601]

4. Too bad Judicial Watch doesn't...

...feel thae same need for openness from ShrubCo.

[Qutzupalotl]

6. Oh, they do.

They joined with the Sierra Club to sue to force Cheney to release his energy task force papers. Case is pending before the supreme duckhunter.

[wabeewoman]

8. I haven't seen much evidence of that...

They are only going after the most blatent abuses in order to prove their impartiality. Otherwise they would be a whole lot busier, wouldn't they??

[cal04]

7. where were they

too bad judicial watch is just like the rest, no guts and probably just as corrupt as everyone else
when Cheney's records were in question, they backed off

[tom_paine]

9. The Imperial Family isn't part of Amerika

And they aren't Amerikans.

So why should our laws apply to the Foreign Rulers of Imperial Amerika?

[Bandit]

10. Amazing we can't have a court ruling on the Presidential Papers

That Bush* sealed immediately after obtaining office. By Congressional Law these papers are to be released no more than twelve years after the president left office. That means Reagan's and Bush 1 papers are by Congressional Law supposed to be released to the public. Bush* is disregarding yet another law.