A regular reader sent us a copy of the most recent PAC binding opinion – as many of you know, the Attorney General’s website is still not fully operational so the public still cannot access any of the binding opinions issued by the Public Access Counselor.

Earlier this year, a reporter submitted a FOIA request to the Office of the Mayor of the City of Chicago seeking text messages sent or received by Mayor Lightfoot regarding conversations between Mayor Lightfoot and certain hospital personnel on their personal or city-issued devices. Although the Mayor’s Office properly extended the time to respond to the FOIA request by an additional five business days, the Mayor’s Office subsequently failed to either comply with the request or deny the request in writing within the extended response period. In PAC Op. 21-008, the PAC concluded that the Mayor Office violated FOIA section 3(d), which requires public bodies to either comply with, deny in whole or in part, or otherwise appropriately respond to a FOIA request.

Nothing groundbreaking in this opinion.

Post Authored by Eugene Bolotnikov, Ancel Glink