Wednesday, August 27, 2014
COLUMBUS (AP) — The state of Ohio acted legally in withholding records documenting threats against Republican Gov. John Kasich from a political blogger who requested them, the Ohio Supreme Court decided today.
In an unsigned opinion, the high court rejected the Democratic-leaning blog Plunderbund’s arguments that the state Public Safety Department had improperly denied its request for public records under a “security records” exception to state law.
The court disagreed.
“(A) public office cannot function without the employees and agents who work in that office, and records ‘directly used for protecting or maintaining the security of a public office’ must inevitably include those that are directly used for protecting and maintaining the security of the employees and other officers of that office,” the opinion said.
Attorneys for the state had argued that Ohio public-records law clearly allows records of threats against Kasich to be shielded from public view for the governor’s protection, while the blog’s lawyer contended security records only include those records created to protect the physical facilities of the governor’s office.
A message seeking comment was left Wednesday with Plunderbund’s attorney, Victoria Ullmann.