Sunshine Laws Behind the Clouds: Limited Transparency in a Time of National Emergency

Ira P. Robbins (American University), Sunshine Laws Behind the Clouds: Limited Transparency in a Time of National Emergency, 56 U.C. Davis L. Rev. (2022):

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way citizens lived their lives, businesses operated, and governments functioned. With most people forced to stay home, the pandemic also disrupted how people received their news and other essential information. Public records and public meetings had to adapt to face the growing challenges in a locked-down world. While some governmental bodies were able to keep up with the threat that COVID-19 posed against transparency, others either failed to acclimate to the new normal or actively took advantage of the circumstances to limit how much the public knew not only about the crisis, but about other public matters as well.