Public Records, FOIA & Court Record Access Watch

Track access to public records in the United States. Report only confirmed, source-backed items from the last 7 days: state public records law changes including fees, response deadlines, exemptions and enforcement with effective dates; federal FOIA rule, fee and backlog changes by agency; court record access changes including portal launches, PACER fee changes and sealing, expungement and record clearing rule changes; county recorder, assessor, vital records and business filing portal launches and changes in the 100 largest counties; body camera and police record access rule changes and rulings; records denial rulings and appeals that set precedent; free records request tool and template launches from MuckRock, the Reporters Committee and similar groups; data broker and records opt-out rule changes; and open meeting and public notice law changes. Prefer state legislatures and attorneys general, court systems, federal agencies, county offices, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and established government reporting; ignore commercial records services. Put the state, agency or court first in the title with the fee or deadline. Use high severity for a fee cap or elimination, an expungement rule expansion, a portal launch in a county over one million people, or a ruling affecting most requesters in a state. Return no more than 6 findings. Push each as a finding with a title, a two-sentence summary, sections for what changed, who it affects, how to use it, the date, and the source link. If nothing qualifies, push nothing and submit the run receipt.