Ohio Supreme Court wants to make some records secret

The Ohio Supreme Court is pushing rules that would limit access to certain types of court records, saying the information violates individuals' right to privacy. The idea is being advocated by some lawyers and police officers who say that open records contribute to crime, making persons easy prey for stalkers and identity theft. (See Columbus Dispatch, B1, Dec. 20, 2007, By James Nash).

I don't buy it. It sounds like the hysteria that gripped the court years ago when they decided to privatize Social Security numbers, another short-sighted move that has only complicated people's lives.

Ever try to apply for a drivers license in Ohio? The state requires an official record that states your Social Security number. One problem - nothing carries your SS number any more since the Supreme Court's decision. In the ensuing years, just about everyone (companies and organizations) has blotted out the Social Security number. My question is this: If you can't prove you have it, what good is it? And who carries one of those goofy shaped cards unless they are retired and drawing benefits?

In Ohio, Bureau of Motor Vehicle bureaucrats only accept a valid Social Security card. Forget tax records, W-2 forms, pay stubs - the IRS may accept them, but state officials don't consider them to be proof of a valid Social Security number. (In my home stake of Illinois you don't have this problem because Social Security numbers are not secret like Ohio, a decision we can thank our Ohio Supreme Court for making.)

This privatization craze started with fears about identity theft, a fear that in my opinion, is greatly overblown.

Now, we are going to extend this lunacy further by making certain court records secret. Litigants already have too much ammunition to keep information private in public court proceedings. Why give them another argument to make?

Besides, few thieves comb court records for private information. It is too easy to get this information in so many other ways (e.g.: just go through the trash.) Insurance companies know this which is why they have started selling "identify theft insurance," collecting fat premiums. Do you think they would be rushing to insure against a risk if it was rampant? Not on your life. These companies are in business to make money.

And what ever happened to the argument that we live in a democracy and that there should be a free flow of information? The justices should re-think their logic on this one.

http://shop.dispatch.com/newsarchive/ArchiveDisplay.asp?DBLIST=cd07&DOCNUM=49493&TERMV=158:5:163:4:2&md=dir

Apple stops suing over leaks

Apple settled a series of lawsuits it brought to stop bloggers from leaking information about its products before they were publicly announced. The New York Times reports the lawsuits raised questions about whether independent web publishers should be afforded the same legal protections as traditional journalists. The suits were aimed at the gaggle of Apple enthusiasts who have made both a sport and a business out of pre-empting Steven P. Jobs’s big product announcements.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/technology/21apples.html?ex=1355979600&en=aad3f4d8b24e9502&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod

Journalist Arrested Covering House Fire

A veteran reporter who was handcuffed at the scene of a fire filed a complaint against the state trooper who issued him a citation for obstructing governmental operations in the disputed incident.

Dec. 14, 2007 · In Arkansas, reporter and photographer Bill Lawson faces a criminal misdemeanor charge following his arrest Dec. 10 at the scene of a residential fire.
On Thursday, Lawson filed a formal complaint against the state trooper who he said unlawfully detained him in handcuffs for roughly 30 minutes after he attempted to capture firefighters battling a chimney fire in Maumelle, Ark.

"I didn't think the trooper in Maumelle had seen the press credential on my windshield and I approached him . . . to let him know who I was and why I was there," Lawson explained in a published first-person account of the incident. "That's when he said he was going to arrest me for approaching him. He told me that he saw the press sign on my windshield and the ID around my neck but that it didn't mean anything to him."

http://www.rcfp.org/news/2007/1214-new-journa.html

Scripps law students listen to Bob Woodward

Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward speaks to J411-J511 Communications Law students during Fall 2007. About 100 law students listened to Mr. Woodward speak about Watergate, his battles with former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and his relationship with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein.
http://scrippsjschool.blogspot.com/