Newspaper publisher jailed over open records request

There were racial slurs (read in another story; if I can find it I'll post a link) during court proceedings that the court reporter did not enter into the transcript, so publisher FOIA's the audio recording of the case. Insanity soon followed.

Indictment over public records request is improper, groups say

Here's the earlier story

Georgia publisher jailed after filing open records request | www.ajc.com

 

I keep thinking I must be reading this wrong.

The judge had them charged with felony identity fraud because she says they might have used the information they were subpoenaing about banking records to steal money from her account. That's fucking insane.

 

It wasn't her account. It was the court account, but yeah. Absolutely insane. Frankly, it sounds like a Grisham novel. This just reeks of personal vendetta. I can't understand why the court reporter wouldn't just turn over the recordings in the original case.

 

It doesn't just reek of a vendetta. The judge openly confirms it is one.

Weaver said she resented Thomason’s attacks on her character in his weekly newspaper and in conversations with her constituents.

“I don’t react well when my honesty is questioned,” Weaver said.

 

UPDATE: Charges against publisher and his attorney have been dropped.

Charges dropped against North Georgia newspaper publisher, lawyer | www.ajc.com

Frankly, I don't think her honor's honesty is in question. She doesn't have any.

 

Oh man, I'd start filing FOIA requests every day for everything and anything I could think of. Wanna play hardball lady? Let's go.

 

Weaver needs to be removed from the bench. Now. I hate it when judges abuse their power. And they have a lot of power.

 

How strange. The judge doesn't look mean-spirited ...

 

Hey, it's Angela Corey!

 

Every man in that picture looks absolutely terrified of her, or maybe just ready to get the hell away from her. I've seen happier people in hostage videos.

 

Looks like the bar scene in Star Wars.

 

A friend of mine posted a Facebook link to a webpage of this paper's competitor that puts this whole controversy in a completely different spin. According to the competitor, this publisher is in cahoots with a local lawyer in a long-running vendetta against the judge, who, I believe, succeeded the lawyer's husband, who resigned from the position and was disbarred for ethics violations. The story also said the FOIA request was never processed because the publisher never came up with the filing fee, and the contempt of court citation came about after he browbeat the court reporter for not handing over the audio transcripts upon demand. Or something like that. It was very long-winded and convoluted, and there was a lot of borderline-libelous stuff in there about how the publisher still lives with his parents and publishes his paper in their basement. Regardless of whose story you believe, though, it sounds like this is a lively little town.