Recordpub.com - OUR VIEW: They're public records New law aimed at easier access, so why are court documents being withheld?

A decision by some Portage County court employees to deny access to court records to the media is doubly disturbing, not only because of its adverse impact on the Record-Courier's ability to serve its readers but because it also effectively limits the public from accessing them, too.

Public records must be readily accessible to anyone who wants to examine them. And Ohio law makes it clear that court documents certainly are public records.

What makes the situation puzzling is that the decision to limit access stems from a new law, which went into effect Sept. 29, that actually is aimed at broadening public access to public records. House Bill 9, in fact, requires that public officials or their designees make all information available within the public record except for items, such as Social Security numbers, that are allowed to remain confidential.

H.B. 9 also mandates that elected and appointed officials, or their designees, undergo formal training in public records law on an annual basis. That requirement may be at the heart of the decision to limit access to the records locally, since the earliest training session that Portage County employees may attend won't be held until Oct. 17.

That's no excuse, however, for denying access to public records. While it may inconvenience court personnel to redact information that must remain confidential, the public -- and that includes the media -- has a right to see these documents. To suggest that interested parties simply wait for 10 days, or whenever employees complete their training session and a policy governing access is put into place, is an unacceptable "solution."

We trust that the situation will be clarified and that public access to court records and other documents will be promptly restored. The Record-Courier and, we suspect, other local media will continue to demand that what is, in fact, public remains public. And, if need be, we will take appropriate action to safeguard our rights.