The Supreme Court has given Lower Courts a range of methods for reviewing this material, including an appointment of a special master to review large volumes of material and make recommendations to the court as to what may reasonably be disclosed. An interesting aspect of the law is that it does not spell out directly what records the public has access to. Every citizen of this State, during the regular business hours maintained by the custodian of any such records, shall have the right to inspect such records. Every citizen of this State shall also have the right, during such regular business hours and under the supervision of a representative of the custodian, to copy such records by hand, and shall also have the right to purchase copies of such records. Copies of records shall be made available upon the payment of such price as shall be established by law.
Municipalities can set their own reasonable fees for copies of public records.
The onward march of information technology required that the RKL be amended in 1994 to deal with the question of the public's right to access to data processed or image processed records. One area where the public's right to access to government records is definitely restricted is in the area of investigations in progress. However, the power of a public body or official to refuse access to a record is not absolute. The RKL provides for an appeal process to the Superior Court for any citizen who feels that they have been improperly denied access to a record. But if the defendant is successful in denying access to the record, then they shall be entitled to taxed costs.