The Michigan State Supreme Court sent a lawsuit filed by Michigan State student newspaper, The State News, back to a lower court for further review last week, effectively sending the paper back to square one nearly two years after the suit was filed. The case began when campus police denied the paper's Michigan Freedom of Information Act request for police reports involving an assault on campus in February 2006. The university claimed they were keeping the records private to protect the ongoing investigation. The State News filed a lawsuit to obtain the reports, and information about the suspects was subsequently leaked to the public. The state appeals court sided with The State News last year in declaring that because information about the assault was now public, the school should reconsider its decision. Last week in a unanimous vote, the Supreme Court reversed the appeals court’s decision, ruling that “facts that come to light after an initial FOIA decision do not affect the courts’ evaluation of the initial decision.” The paper has no plans to drop the suit.

More from the Student Press Law Center
Read the University of Michigan’s FOIA Policy
More from The State News from February
More from The State News from March
More from The State News on the 2006 campus incident
More from The State News about previous information violations at MSU
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