Opinion ID: 4787542
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The GRAMA Appeals Process6

Text: 1. The Initial Record Request to the Governmental Entity ¶21 The process of requesting a government record through GRAMA begins with a record request to a governmental entity. UTAH CODE § 63G-2-204(1)(a). Here, McKitrick requested the investigative records through a GRAMA request to the Ogden Police Department. Ogden City responded to her request and denied it. __________________________________________________________ 6 We address only who has standing to appeal access decisions of a local appeals board to the district court. The statute provides a process for appealing other GRAMA-related decisions, such as a governmental entity’s classification or designation of a record as public, private, controlled, protected, or exempt from disclosure. UTAH CODE § 63G-2-401(8). But these provisions are not at issue here. GRAMA also contains provisions that are specific to business confidentiality claimants, which we also do not address. See, e.g., id. §§ 63G-2-401(4)(a), -404(3). And finally, our analysis is specific to petitions for judicial review of a local appeals board’s decision. We do not address appeals that proceed to or from the State Records Committee. 7 MCKITRICK V. GIBSON Opinion of the Court ¶22 When a governmental entity denies a record request, GRAMA establishes a process for appealing that decision. This process is generally laid out in Part 4 of GRAMA. See id. §§ 63G-2- 400.5–406. However, because Ogden City—the governmental entity in control of the record here—is a “political subdivision,”7 Part 7 of GRAMA is relevant. See id. §§ 63G-2-103(11)(a)(v), -701. Part 7 permits political subdivisions to “adopt an ordinance or a policy applicable throughout its jurisdiction relating to information practices including classification, designation, access, denials, segregation, appeals, management, retention, and amendment of records.” Id. § 63G-2-701(2)(a) (emphases added). ¶23 Ogden City has chosen to enact its own ordinances related to information practices pursuant to Part 7. See OGDEN CITY, UTAH MUN. CODE § 4-5-1(A)–(B) (2018). So here we review the relevant provisions in both Part 4 and Part 7 of GRAMA. 2. Appeal of a Governmental Entity’s Denial to the Chief Administrative Officer ¶24 If the governmental entity grants a records request, GRAMA provides no mechanism to appeal that decision. However, if the governmental entity denies a record request, as did Ogden City, GRAMA permits the “requester” or an “interested party” to appeal the “access denial” to the governmental entity’s designated chief administrative officer. UTAH CODE § 63G-2- 401(1)(a) (emphases added). In Part 7, GRAMA requires a political subdivision to “include a process for a requester or interested party to appeal an access denial to a person designated by the political subdivision as the chief administrative officer” for such purposes. Id. § 68G-2-701(5)(b) (emphases added). ¶25 Both “requester” and “interested party” are defined terms. See id. § 63G-2-701(1)(c) (referencing id. § 63G-2-400.5). A requester is “a person who submits a record request to a governmental entity.” Id. § 63G-2-400.5(7). Here, that is McKitrick. __________________________________________________________ 7 GRAMA itself does not define “political subdivision,” but other sections of Title 63G define the term similarly, as “any county, city, town . . . or other governmental subdivision or public corporation.” Id. § 63G-7-102(8); see also id. §§ 63G-9-201(1)(a), -22102(1). Under any of these definitions, Ogden City is a political subdivision. 8 Cite as: 2021 UT 48 Opinion of the Court ¶26 And an “interested party” is a person, other than the requester, who is “aggrieved” by the denial of a record request. Id. § 63G-2-400.5(3).8 Notably, the statutory definition does not include a person who is aggrieved by the grant of a record request. So Gibson is not an “interested party” under GRAMA. ¶27 Because Ogden City denied McKitrick’s request, she appealed the access denial to Ogden City’s chief administrative officer for GRAMA appeals. And the chief administrative officer affirmed the city’s access denial. 3. Appeal of a Chief Administrative Officer’s “Appellate Affirmation” of the Governmental Entity’s Denial ¶28 If a chief administrative officer reverses the governmental entity’s decision to deny access to a record, and thereby grants the record request, GRAMA does not provide an avenue to appeal the decision. But if the chief administrative officer affirms the governmental entity’s denial of the request (an “appellate affirmation”), GRAMA allows the requester to appeal the decision to the State Records Committee, a local appeals board, or the district court through a petition for judicial review. Id. § 63G-2- 402(1)(a)–(b). But where, as here, the governmental entity is a political subdivision that has established its own local appeals board pursuant to Part 7, GRAMA requires any appeal of a chief administrative officer’s decision to go to the local appeals board. Id. § 63G-2-701(5)(c)(iii). ¶29 It is notable that at this juncture, GRAMA distinguishes between the appellate rights of the requester and an interested party. While a requester has three avenues of appeal (unless the governmental entity is a political subdivision), the statute does not give an interested party the same options. Rather, it directs an __________________________________________________________ 8 An “interested party” is “a person, other than a requester, who is aggrieved by an access denial or an appellate affirmation . . . .” Id. § 63G-2-400.5(3). Both an “access denial” and an “appellate affirmation” refer to denials of record requests. An “access denial” means a governmental entity’s initial denial of a record request, in whole or in part. Id. § 63G-2-400.5(1). And an “appellate affirmation” is “a decision of a chief administrative officer, local appeals board, or State Records Committee affirming an access denial.” Id. § 63G-2-400.5(2) (emphasis added). 9 MCKITRICK V. GIBSON Opinion of the Court interested party to appeal an appellate affirmation to the State Records Committee. Id. § 63G-2-402(3). ¶30 Here, Ogden City’s chief administrative officer affirmed the city’s access denial. So GRAMA provided McKitrick the right to appeal that decision to the Ogden City Records Review Board. And the Review Board rejected the chief administrative officer’s decision and granted McKitrick’s records request. It is the appeal of this decision—specifically, Gibson’s petition for judicial review of the Review Board’s decision to grant McKitrick’s records request—that is before us. 4. Appeal of a Local Appeals Board Decision ¶31 GRAMA subsection 701(6)(a) governs this specific situation. It states that “[a] political subdivision or requester may appeal an appeals board decision . . . by filing a petition for judicial review with the district court.” Id. § 63G-2-701(6)(a)(ii) (emphases added). Notably, this is the first procedural stage at which GRAMA provides for an appeal of a grant—in addition to a denial—of a record request.9 And it allows either a “political subdivision” or a “requester” to appeal the board’s decision. As discussed, both “political subdivision” and “requester” are defined terms. See supra ¶¶ 22 n.7, 25. The “requester” here is McKitrick. And Ogden City is the “political subdivision” in this case. ¶32 McKitrick, as the prevailing party, had no need to appeal. Ogden City chose not to appeal. And GRAMA does not provide any other person or entity with the right to appeal the Review Board decision.