HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania courts' broad exemption from the Right-to-Know Law shields judicial records from public scrutiny even when they are in the hands of agencies that are subject to the law, a three-judge panel of the state Commonwealth Court has ruled. Read More…

In a precedent-setting ruling handed down Wednesday by Commonwealth Court, records of ancillary offices to the state's court system have been found exempt from the 2009 Right to Know Law. Addressing whether The Times-Tribune and others were entitled to Lackawanna County records for its Department of Domestic Relations, the court ruled the county and state Office of Open Records were permanently barred from making the information public. Read More…

The prevalence of identity theft is one of the reasons the state has revised its paper record access policy for magisterial district courts. “Personal financial and Social Security information are two key elements of the kind that will not be included in court files for public review,” said Stuart Ditzen, assistant for communications, Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
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