CJ Griffin Quoted in Article on Notifying Judges on Public Record Requests
CJ Griffin, director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., was quoted in Law360 article, “NJ High Court Lets Judges Get Notified of Record Requests.” The article discusses a recent amendment to the court rules to require judges to be notified when a member of the public requests their financial disclosure statements. This amendment went into effect on December 16, 2020.
CJ Griffin, a partner at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC who also specializes in public records disputes, said that it is important to ensure the safety of judges, "but these financial disclosures are something that should be posted online just like they are for legislators, mayors, school board members and others."
Even if the financial disclosures require redaction, it is still essential for the public to be able to easily review them "without going through a cumbersome records request process," Griffin told Law360.
"Anytime there is an extra step required before records can be released it delays access, and my experience is that the judiciary's records request process is already incredibly slow," Griffin said. "I also worry that a judge might feel agitated if he or she is notified that a party or an attorney who has a current case before the judge has requested the financial disclosure statement."
To read the article, please click here.
