Denver Post v. Ritter
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| Sunshine Laws |
| How to Make Records Requests |
| Sunshine Litigation |
| Sorted by State, Year and Topic |
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| Deliberative Process Exemption |
Denver Post v. Ritter is a lawsuit filed on August 11, 2008 by the Denver Post against Bill Ritter, the Governor of Colorado under the Colorado Open Records Act.
On October 14, the lawsuit was dismissed by Denver District Judge Morris B. Hoffman who said that Ritter didn't have to turn over the phone call records from his private cell phone even if, on some of the calls, he discussed government business.
The Denver Post was seeking copies of cell phone records for a private cell phone that Ritter uses for some political or governmental discussions.
Gregory Moore, editor of the Post, said the newspaper is considering an appeal and that Ritter's use of a private phone for state busienss is "an attempt at secrecy that should not be protected."[1]
Important precedents
This case established that private cell phones remain private and confidential despite their occasional use in public business.
Background
The case was thrown out in trial court and ruled against by the court of appeals.[2]
