Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/22575523/4/P-3d-190-Colo-2005
Timestamp: 2016-02-08 02:58:02
Document Index: 744602095

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 29', '§ 29', '§ 41', '§ 41', '§ 25', '§ 24', '§ 119', '§149', '§ 9', '§ 29', '§ 1', '§ 55', '§ 1', '§ 3', '§ 55']

55121 P.3d 190 (Colo. 2005) for Brief of the Appellee (Steven Canterbury), Associated Press v. Canterbury, No. 34768 (W. Va. Supreme Court)
UploadSign inJoinBooksAudiobooksComicsSheet MusicScribd Selects BooksHand-picked favorites from our editorsScribd Selects AudiobooksHand-picked favorites from our editorsScribd Selects ComicsHand-picked favorites from our editorsScribd Selects Sheet MusicHand-picked favorites from our editorsTop BooksWhat's trending, bestsellers, award-winners & moreTop AudiobooksWhat's trending, bestsellers, award-winners & moreTop ComicsWhat's trending, bestsellers, award-winners & moreTop Sheet MusicWhat's trending, bestsellers, award-winners & moreCategoriesArts & IdeasBiography & MemoirBusiness & LeadershipChildren'sComputers & TechnologyCooking & FoodCrafts & HobbiesFantasyFiction & LiteratureHappiness & Self-HelpHealth & WellnessHistoryHome & GardenHumorLGBTMystery, Thriller & CrimePolitics & EconomyReferenceReligionRomanceScience & NatureScience FictionSociety & CultureSports & AdventureTravelYoung AdultCategoriesArts & IdeasBiography & MemoirBusiness & LeadershipChildren'sComputers & TechnologyCooking & FoodFantasyFiction & LiteratureHappiness & Self-HelpHealth & WellnessHistoryHome & GardenHumorLGBTMystery, Thriller & CrimePolitics & EconomyReferenceReligionRomanceScience & NatureScience FictionSociety & CultureSports & AdventureTravelYoung AdultCategoriesAdaptationsChildren’sCrime & MysteryFictionHumorMangaNonfictionRomanceSciFi, Fantasy & HorrorSuperheroesYoung AdultPublishersArcanaArchie ComicsBOOM! StudiosDynamiteIDW PublishingKingstone ComicsMarvel ComicsSpace Goat ProductionsTop Cow ComicsTop Shelf ProductionsValiant Comics ZenescopeDifficultyBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedMixedInstrumentBrassDrums & PercussionGuitar, Bass, and FrettedPianoStringsVocalWoodwindsGenreClassicalCountryFolkJazz & BluesMovies & MusicalsPop & RockReligious & HolidayStandardsP. 1Brief of the Appellee (Steven Canterbury), Associated Press v. Canterbury, No. 34768 (W. Va. Supreme Court)Brief of the Appellee (Steven Canterbury), Associated Press v. Canterbury, No. 34768 (W. Va. Supreme Court)|Views: 53|Likes: 1Published by J CoxMore info:Categories:Types, Government & PoliticsPublished by: J Cox on Nov 15, 2009Copyright:Attribution Non-commercialAvailability:Read on Scribd mobile: iPhone, iPad and Android.download as PDF, TXT or read online from ScribdFlag for inappropriate content|Add to collectionSee moreSee lesshttps://www.scribd.com/doc/22575523/Brief-of-the-Appellee-Steven-Canterbury-Associated-Press-v-Canterbury-No-34768-W-Va-Supreme-Court10/21/2011pdftextoriginalSectionsI. INTRODUCTIONII. STATEMENT OF FACTSIII. STANDARD OF REVIEW55121 P.3d 190 (Colo. 2005)83193 W. Va. 20, 454 S.E.2d 65 (1994)921997 WL 583726 (Tex.)IV. CONCLUSION
56Id. at 199.
In State ex rel. Wilson-Simmons v. Lake County Sheriff's Dept. ,57 the Supreme Court of
Ohio held that private e-mails by sheriff s department employees were not "public records" for
purposes of compelled disclosure. Despite the legitimate inquiry of whether those e-mails
contained racial slurs, the court held
The requested e-mail does not constitute "records" for purposes of
R.C. 149.oI 1 (G) and 149.43. R.C. 149.43(A)(1) "does not define a
'public record' as any piece of paper on which a public officer
writes something." State ex rel. Steffen v. Kraft (1993), 67 Ohio St.
3d 439,440,619 N.E.2d 688,689. "To the extent that any item * *
* is not a 'record,' i.e., does not serve to document the
organization, etc., of the public office, it is not a public record and
need not be disclosed." State ex rel. Fant v. Enright, 66 Ohio St.3d
at 188, 610 N.E.2d at 999. If, as alleged by Wilson-Simmons, the
requested e-mail consists of racist slurs against her by individual
co-workers, then, although reprehensible, the e-mail does not serve
to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions,
procedures, operations, or other activities of the sheriff's
department. There is no evidence or allegation that the alleged
racist e-mail documented sheriff's department policy or
procedures. It was allegedly circulated only to a few co-workers
and was not used to conduct sheriff's department business.
This conclusion, that the requested e-mail is not a record for
purposes of R.C. 149.43, is supported by both state and federal
precedent. See Steffen, 67 Ohio St.3d at 439, 619 N.E.2d at 689
("A trial judge's personal handwritten notes made during the
course of a trial are not public records."), and cases cited at 67
Ohio St.3d at 440, 619 N.E.2d at 689; Internatl. Union, United
Auto., Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of Am. v.
Voinovich (1995), 100 Ohio App.3d 372, 654 N.E.2d 139
(Governor's personal calendars and appointment books did not
constitute records subject to disclosure under R.C. 149.43 because
they did not serve to document any official activities or functions.);
Bur. of Natl. Affairs, Inc. v. United States Dept. of Justice (C.A.
D.C. 1984), 742 F.2d 1484, 1492 ("Where, as here, a document is
created by an agency employee, consideration of whether and to
what extent that employee used the document to conduct agency
business is highly relevant for determining whether that document
82 Ohio st. 3d ~7, 693 N.E.2d 789 (1998).
is an 'agency record' within the meaning of FOIA [the federal
Freedom of Information Act)."); Gallant v. Natl. Labor Relations
Bd. (C.A. D.C. 1994), 26 F.3d 168, 172 ("[E]ven though
employing agency resources in the creation of the correspondence
is a relevant factor in the agency record analysis, the utilization of
agency resources in this case is not as significant as the other
factors employed in our precedents, which compel a conclusion
that the * * * correspondence was personal, rather than attributable
to the agency.").
Therefore, although the alleged racist e-mail was created by public
employees via a public office's e-mail system, it was never used to
conduct the business of the public office and did not constitute
records for purposes of R.C. 149.011(0) and 149,43.FNI See
Bureau o/Natl. Affairs and Gallant.58
Similarly, in the instant case, a "public record" under the Freedom of Information Act requires
"information relating to the conduct of the public's business, prepared, owned and retained by a
public body.,,59 Consequently, private e-mails by public officials and employees which do not
relate "to the conduct ofthe public's business" are outside its purview.
In State v. City o/Clearwater,60 the Supreme Court of Florida likewise affirmed an order
rejecting a newspaper's efforts to seek an order compelling a municipality to release all e-mail
sent from or received by two city employees who used government-owned computers for
communication. The court reasoned as follows:
"In construing a statute, we look first to the statute's plain
meaning." Moonlit Waters Apartments, Inc. v. Cauley, 666 So.2d
898, 900 (Fla. 1996). Based on the plain language of section
119.011(1), we agree with the Second District's conclusion that
"private" or "personal" e-mails "simply fallD outside the current
definition of public records." Times Publishing, 830 So.2d at 847.
As the Second District explained:
58Id. at 41-42, 693 N.W.2d at 792-93.
59 W. Va. Code § 29B-I-2(4)(emphasis supplied).
60 863 So. 2d 149 (Fla. 2003).
Such e-mail is not "made or received pursuant to
law or ordinance." Likewise, such e-mail by
definition is not created or received "in connection
with the official business" of the City or "in
connection with the transaction of official business"
by the City. Although digital in nature, there is little
to distinguish such e-mail from personal letters
delivered to government workers via a government
post office box and stored in a government-owned
desk.61
Indeed, judicial e-mails, which are the very subject of the instant case, are exempt from
disclosure, under the same rationale, under Florida law:
This conclusion is supported by this Court's decision in In re
Amendments to Rule of Judicial Administration 2.051-Public
Access to Judicial Records, 651 So.2d 1185 (Fla.1995), in which
we discussed the public's right of access to the judicial branch's
Official business e-mail transmissions must be
treated just like any other type of official
communication received and filed by the judicial
branch. . .. E-mail may include transmissions that
are clearly not official business and are,
consequently, not required to be recorded as a
Id. at 1187 (emphasis supplied).
Although public access to records of the judicial branch is
governed by court rule rather than by chapter 119, we recently
acknowledged that the definition of "judicial records" contained in
Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.051 "is virtually identical
to the legislative definition of 'public records' contained in section
119.011(1) ... insofar as section 119.011(1) defines 'public
records' as 'all documents ... made or received pursuant to law or
ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business
by any agency.'" Media Gen. Convergence, 840 So.2d at 1014.
Thus, this Court's determination that judicial e-mails that are not
61 Id. at 153 (emphasis supplied).
made or received in connection with official business are not
required to be recorded as public records also applies to agency e-
mails governed by chapter 119.62
In rejecting the newspaper's argument that private e-mails are public record by virtue of their
existence on government e-mail servers, the court further reasoned:
We agree with the trial court's observation that "[c]omrnon sense ...
opposes a mere possession rule." The trial court explained:
This court noted several times during hearings on
this case the absurd consequences of such an
application of the law. If the Attorney General
brings his household bills to the office to work on
during lunch, do they become public record if he
temporarily puts them in his desk drawer? If a
Senator writes a note to herself while speaking with
her husband on the phone does it become public
record because she used a state note pad and pen?
The Sheriffs secretary, proud of her children, brings
her Mother's Day cards to the office to show her
friends. Do they become public records if she keeps
them in the filing cabinet?
Times Publishing Co. v. City a/Clearwater, No. 00-8232-CI-13 at
10 (6th Cir Ct. order filed May 21,2001). Just as an agency carmot
circumvent the Public Records Act by allowing a private entity to
maintain physical custody of documents that fall within the
definition of "public records," see Wisner v. City 0/ Tampa Police
Dep't, 601 So.2d 296, 298 (Fla. 2d DCA 1992), private documents
carmot be deemed public records solely by virtue of their
placement on an agency-owned computer. The determining factor
is the nature of the record, not its physical location. 63
Moreover, a private e-mail by a public officer or employee regarding non-public subject
matter does not become public just because the media expresses an interest in such e-mail. In the
Florida case, for example, the newspaper sought the subject e-mails because of allegations that
62 Id (emphasis supplied).
63 Id at 154 (emphasis supplied).
city employees "were utilizing their public time and resources for personal benefit,,,64 an issue of
obvious legitimate public interest. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court of Florida held that the
private e-mails of public employees were not "public records.,,65 Similarly, in the case sub
judice, a media inquiry does not convert private e-mails of judicial officers and employees into
"public records. ,,66
Significantly, the overwhelming majority of courts that have considered the issues in this
case have rejected the same arguments advanced by the AP and adopted by the circuit court.
Indeed, it has been observed that cases in the foregoing jurisdictions and others "evince a trend
toward creating a distinction between public and personal e-mail records that would exclude
personal e-mails from the scope of state public records statutes. ,,67
64 Times Publishing Co. v. City of Clearwater, 830 So. 2d 844, 848 (Fla. Ct. App. 2002).
65 In addition to the Supreme Courts of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio, and Florida,
the Washington Court of Appeals has also held that a public employee's e-mails that are private
in nature are exempt from disclosure. See Tiberino v. Spokane County, 103 Wash. App. 680,
689-90, 13 P.3d 11 04, 1109 (2000)("Ms. Tiberino's e-mails contain intimate details about her
personal and private life and do not discuss specific instances of misconduct. . . . . Any
reasonable person wonld find disclosure of Ms. Tiberino's e-mails to be highly offensive.").
66 The AP attempts to divert attention away from the e-mails, which are the alleged
"public records" at issue, to the controversy which resulted in its efforts to secure the e-mails.
Specifically, the AP argues that, "the participation by Justice Maynard in the Caperton and other
Massey cases were 'official acts' of a 'public official' ... as those terms are used in w: Va. Code
§ 29B-l-1." Appellant's Brief at 14; see also id at 16. In fact, the AP boldly states, "their
content ... is not before this Court." fd at 16. This is simply wrong. If the e-mails themselves
are not "public records" as that term is defined under ForA, the inquiry ends there. They do not
become "public records" because something outside their existence makes the AP or any other
media organization interested in their disclosure. It is for this reason that other courts have
rejected similar attempts by media organizations to secure access to personal and private e-mails
that themselves do not involve the public's business.
67 Peter S. Kozinets, Access to the E-Mail Records of Public Officials: Safeguarding the
Public's Rightto Know, 15 Communications Lawyer 17, 24 (2007).
In contrast, the only cases cited by the AP in its brief8 and relied upon by the circuit
not only represent a clear minority position, they actually support, upon careful
examination, the Administrative Director's position.7o
68 Appellant's Brief at 17-18.
69 Final Order at 11-12.
70 Alternatively, the AP argued and the circuit comi erroneously held that the statutes in
the cases relied upon by the Administrative Director were dissimilar. Final Order at II. Both
the AP and the circuit court are simply incorrect.
In Arizona, for example, the term "records" is defined as "all books, papers, maps,
photographs or other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics,
including prints or copies of such items produced or reproduced on film or electronic media
pursuant to § 41-1348, made or received by any governmental agency in pursuance of law or in
connection with the transaction of public business .... " A.R.S. § 41-1350 (emphasis supplied).
The Arizona phrase "transaction of public business" is virtually identical to West Virginia's
"conduct of the public's business."
In Arkansas, the term "public records" is defined as "writings, recorded sounds, films,
tapes, electronic or computer-based information, or data compilations in any medium required by
law to be kept or otherwise kept and that constitute a record of the performance or lack of
performance of official functions that are or should be carried out by a public official or
employee, a governmental agency, or any other agency wholly or partially supported by public
funds or expending public funds." Ark. St. § 25-19-104(5)(A) (emphasis supplied). The focus
in Arkansas, as in West Virginia, is on whether the record relates to the public's business.
In Colorado, the term "public records" is defined as "all writings made, maintained, or
kept by the state, any agency, institution, a nonprofit corporation incorporated pursuant to section
23-5-121(2), C.R.S., or political subdivision of the state ... ," C.R.S.A. § 24-72-202(6)(a)(I),
and places no limitation upon such records. This definition is even broader than West Virginia'S.
In Florida, the term "public records" is defined as "all documents, papers, letters, maps,
books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, data processing software, or other material,
regardless of the physical form, characteristics, or means of transmission, made or received
pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any
agency." F.S.A. § 119.011 (11) (emphasis supplied). Again, the Florida phrase "transaction of
official business" is nearly identical to West Virginia's "conduct of the public's business."
In Ohio, the last state in which an appellate court of last resort has embraced the position
advocated by the defendant, the term "records" is defined as "any document, device, or item,
regardless of physical form or characteristic, including an electronic record as defined in section
In California, for example, where the term "public records" is defined as "information
relating to the conduct of the public's business," as in West Virginia, the court held that "purely
personal information unrelated to 'the conduct of the public's business, '" is not covered by the
California statute. 71
At issue in Commission was access to the "the names, employing
departments, and hiring and termination dates of California peace officers included in the
Commission's database."n Obviously, as to this type of routine information, the court had no
difficulty in holding that these records "relate to the public's business, because the Commission
uses them to monitor the compliance of participating departments with Commission regulations,
which is a requirement for eligibility for the services and state funding provided by the
Commission.,,73 The California court's analysis makes clear, however, that where e-mails not
"related to the public's business" are involved, it would hold, as have the courts of last resort in
Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Ohio that they are not subject to compelled disclosure.
In Idaho, the term "public record" is defined as "any writing containing information
relating to the conduct or administration of the public's business prepared, owned, used or
retained by any state agency, independent public body corporate and politic or local agency
1306.01 of the Revised Code, created or received by or coming under the jurisdiction of any
public office of the state or its political subdivisions, which serves to document the organization,
functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the office." Ohio
R.C. §149.01l(G) (emphasis supplied). The Ohio phrase "other activities of the office" is
substantially similar to West Virginia's "conduct ofthe public's business."
71 Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training v. Superior Court, 42 Cal. 4th
278,288, 165 P.3d 462, _,64 Cal. Rptr. 3d 661, 667 (2007).
n Id at 284,165 P.3d at --,64 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 664.
73Id at 288 n.3, 165 P.3d at_. n.3, 64 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 667 n. 3.
regardless of physical form or characteristics.,,74 Accordingly, it has been observed, "The Idaho
public records law provides one of the broadest definitions of public records in the country." 75
Even under Idaho's extraordinarily broad statute, however, the court in Cowles Pub. Co. v.
Kootenai Co. Ed. of County Commissioners,76 rejected one of the AP's arguments, stating as
follows: "It is not simply the fact that the e-mails were sent and received while the employees
were at work or the fact that they were 'in' the employee's office that makes them a public
record." In other words, like the cases relied upon by the Administrative Director, an e-mail
which is sent or received using a government-owned computer or server does not render "public"
a private e-mail; rather, in order to be a "public record," an e-mail must relate to "the conduct of
the public's business." This standard was easily satisfied in Cowles:
Turning to the first portion of this definition, it is clear that the
emails contain information relating to the conduct and
administration of the public's business. The public has a legitimate
interest in these communications between this elected official and
the employee whom he hired and supervised because when the JET
Court's financial problems and eventual demise became apparent
to the public, Douglas defended Kalani's management to both the
Board and the public. Whether he did so as her supervisor
defending her job performance, or whether he did so because of an
alleged inappropriate relationship is a public concern. Put another
way, Douglas's reasons for defending Kalani relate to the conduct
and administration of the public's business. Likewise, ICRMP, the
County's insurer who examined the emails in relation to Cowles's
public record request, settled a potential defamation claim brought
by Kalani against the County. The email's content relates to the
public's business because the public's business includes job
performance by a county employee, the spending policies of a
county program, the issues surrounding that program's demise,
74 Idaho I.C. § 9-337(13).
75 Access to the E-Mail Records, supra at 18.
76144 Idaho 259, 159 P.3d 896, 901 (2007).
other employment related claims, and the validity and
circumstances surrounding the defamation claim.77
Conversely, e-mails between a public official or employee and a private citizen wholly unrelated
to the "conduct of the public's business," but rather forwarding links to articles on such topics as
Muslim marriage, global warming, or state politics, has nothing to do with the "conduct of the
The majority of jurisdictions that have considered the issue have ruled that
communications between a public officer or employee and a citizen which are private, personal,
and do not involve the conduct of the public's business, are not subject to compelled disclosure
irrespective of whether they were transmitted using publicly-owned equipment or whether the
media has a self-proclaimed "public interest" in those communications.78
77 Id. at 900 (emphasis supplied). In its brief, the AP describes Cowles as follows: "One
other court has addressed this precise issue, and concluded that content is not the determinative
factor .... " Appellant's Brief at 16. First, as the highlighted text of the Cowles opinion
indicates, the Idaho Supreme Court did focus on the content of the disputed emails. Second, the
qualification "[o]ne other court" in the AP's brief highlights that the overwhelming majority of
courts which have examined the issue of the compelled disclosure of private and personal e-
mails under freedom of information acts have concluded that whether they meet the statutory
definition of a "public document" depends upon their content. In this case, there is no dispute
that if only the content of the e-mails is examined, none of them meet our statutory definition of
a "public record" because none were even remotely related to "the public's business." That is
why the AP asks this Court to ignore the "content" of the e-mails because "it is the context in
which they were created that make them pubic records." Appellant's Brief at 18.
78 Just as a lawyer who asks a question during a trial or hearing invariably believes that it
is relevant, any media representative who seeks private communications between a judge and a
third-party invariably believes that there is a "public interest" in the subject matter. But, just as a
presiding judge must rule on objections to a lawyer's question under the Rules of Evidence, a
court must rule on objections to a public official's or entity's refusal to disclose documents
requested under the freedom of information statute. Otherwise, under the AP's approach, every
request becomes an exercise in self-fulfillment because as long as a document exists, it is by
definition a matter of "public concern" or "pUblic interest" because the request was made.
Fortunately, the majority of jurisdictions have rejected this borderless and overly-simplistic
jurisdictions has similar statutes with similar declarations of salutary purpose, but
sanctimoniously draping oneself in the mantle of broad legislative purpose,79 as the AP in this
case, has been inadequate for media representatives in those jurisdictions to overcome the
commonsense limitations incorporated into such statutes. Likewise, the Administrative Director
submits that this Court should bring West Virginia law into the majority of jurisdictions and hold
that communications between judges and third-parties regarding private, personal, and non-
judicial or administrative matters are not "public records" under the Freedom of Information
Act. 80
79 As previously discussed, the timing of the AP's filing of a motion for expedited relief,
after weeks of inactivity, as well as the timing of its notice of hearing, to occur on the day prior
to the primary election, raises a legitimate question of whether its motives were journalistic or
political. Moreover, in its brief, the AP goes far afield of the matters litigated in the circuit court,
and embarks on a thinly-veiled attack of this Court's recusal rules, Appellant's Brief at 21-24,
including references to the petition for writ of certiorari and amici briefs and newspaper
editorials in support of the petitioner in Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., Inc., U.S. S. Ct.
Docket Nos. 08-22 and 08-217, Appellant's Brief at 21-24, where the non-recusal of another
Justice is the primary issue.
80 Alternatively, the Administrative Director asserts that the subject e-mails satisfy the
five-factor test for the "personal information" exemption. See Syl. pt. 2, Child Protection Group
v. Cline, 177 W. Va. 29, 350 S.E.2d 541 (1986)("In deciding whether the public disclosure of
information of a personal nature under W. Va. Code § 29B-I-4(2) (1980) would constitute an
unreasonable invasion of privacy, this Court will look to five factors: 1. Whether disclosure
would result in a substantial invasion of privacy and, if so, how serious. 2. The extent or value
of the public interest, and the purpose or object of the individuals seeking disclosure. 3. Whether
the information is available from other sources. 4. Whether the information was given with an
expectation of confidentiality. 5. Whether it is possible to mould relief so as to limit the invasion
of individual privacy."). With respect to the e-mails in question, the Administrative Director
submits that (1) their disclosure would result in an invasion of privacy; (2) the value of the public
interest in learning primarily what URL links (wholly unrelated to the public's business) were
sent between a judicial officer and a private citizen is dubious at best; (3) the information (an
acquaintance between the judicial officer and the private citizen) is and was well-known; (4) the
information (private e-mails) was sent with a reasonable expectation of privacy; and (5) it would
not be possible to mold relief (particularly in light of the limited subject matter of the e-mails)
that would limit the invasion of privacy.
THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED BY INTERPRETING THE WEST VIRGINIA
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT TO COMPEL PRODUCTION OF
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN JUDGES AND THIRD-PARTIES
REGARDING PRIVATE, PERSONAL, AND NON-JUDICIAL OR
In addition to its inapplicability to private e-mails, the Freedom of Information Act
applies to the "judicial department" only to the extent of its judicial and administrative functions
and does not extend, for example, to allegations of conduct in violation of the Code of Judicial
Article VIII, Section I of the West Virginia Constitution provides, "The judicial power
of the State shall be vested solely in a supreme court of appeals and in the circuit courts, and in
such intermediate appellate courts and magistrate courts as shall be hereafter established by the
legislature, and in the justices, judges and magistrates of such courts." Article VIII, Section 3
of the West Virginia Constitution provides, "The court shall have power to promulgate rules for
all cases and proceedings, civil and criminal, for all of the courts of the State relating to writs,
warrants, process practice and procedure, which shall have the force and effect of law. The court
shall have general supervisory control over all intermediate appellate courts, circuit courts and
magistrate courts. The chief justice shall be the administrative head of all the courts." Thus,
under our constitutional framework, the judiciary is an independent branch of state government
entitled to conduct its business under administrative rules promulgated by the Supreme Court of
Appeals, including a Code of Judicial Conduct, based upon a model code adopted by the
Article V, Section 1 of the West Virginia Constitution provides, "The legislative,
executive and judicial departments shall be separate and distinct, so that neither shall exercise the
powers properly belonging to either of the others; nor shall any person exercise the powers of
more than one of them at the same time, except that justices of the peace shall be eligible to the
legislature."S! A statute enacted in violation of W. Va. Const. art. V, § 1, insofar as it encroaches
on the ability of the Court to regulate the judiciary, is "unconstitutional and unenforceable.,,82
As noted by Justice Cleckley for the Court, for example, in Syllabus Point 3 of State ex rei.
Frazier v. Meadows,83 "The Judicial Reorganization Amendment provides a hierarchy to be used
in resolving administrative conflicts and problems. Under the Amendment, the Judicial)" not the
executive branch, is vested with the authority to resolve any substantial, genuine, and
irreconcilable administrative conflicts regarding court personnel.,,84
8! In its brief to the circuit court, the AP argued, "were the Court to accept the
Defendant's 'division of powers' rationale, the same erroneous reasoning would bar application
of the WVFOIA to the Executive Branch." Plaintiffs Motion at 10 n.4. First, this is a straw-
man argument because the Administrative Director always conceded that FOIA applies to the
administrative functions of the judicial branch and disclosed those documents in this case
numbering in the thousands. Second, other courts have held that FOIA and similar statutes,
while ostensibly applicable to the executive branch, are limited by separation of powers
concerns. Franklin v. Massachusetts, 505 U.S. 788, 800-01 (1992)(holding that separation of
powers concerns prevent the application of the APA to the President); Meyer v. Bush, 981 F.2d
1288, 1295 (D.C. Cir. 1993) (suggesting that the Vice President should not be subject to FOIA).
Indeed, in the same Washington Post case upon which the AP relied for its "irreparable harm"
argument, the court held, "Office of the Vice President is not an 'agency' under FOIA .... "
Washington Post v. Dept. of Homeland Security, 459 F. Supp. 2d at 61,70 (D.D.C. 2006).
82 See Syl. pt. 3, Louk v. Cormier, 218 W. Va. 81,622 S.E.2d 788 (2005)("The provisions
contained in W. Va. Code § 55-7B-6d (2001) (Supp. 2004) were enacted in violation of the
Separation of Powers Clause, Article V, § 1 of the West Virginia Constitution, insofar as the
statute addresses procedural litigation matters that are regulated exclusively by this Court
pursuant to the Rule-Making Clause, Article VIII, § 3 of the West Virginia Constitution.
Consequently, W. Va. Code § 55-7B-6d, in its entirety, is unconstitutional and unenforceable.").