The Kentucky Court of Appeals heard three cases in Carrick Theater on February 6th. I had the opportunity to attend the third case of the afternoon, which began at about 2:45 PM. I was a bit worried considering the subject matter, but I thought it was an engaging and interesting hearing.
In the case I heard, the appellant, the Kentucky State University Foundation (KSUF), an organization that operates in conjunction with the Kentucky State University, sought to overturn a lower court’s decision that the KSUF was a public agency as was, therefore, subject to Kentucky open records legislation. Each side was given fifteen minutes, with the appellant having to split their time between an opening statement and a rebuttal to the defendant. The Defendant, Frankfort Newsmedia LLC, wanted access to KSUF financial information.
The judge would occasionally interrupt proceedings to explain procedures and other rules to the audience, which, as someone who is not entirely familiar with them, was greatly appreciated. It was also entertaining when he would stop one of the parties and ask them to clarify what they were saying, with a tone somewhere between dumbfounded and fed-up. The most entertaining part was, towards the end, when he told the audience that this whole case was based on financial records regarding a birthday party held by KSUF employees, a revelation met with bewildered laughter among the audience.
While a decision was not made on campus on any of these cases, this hearing was a fascinating look into the Kentucky court system that one would otherwise have to travel to Frankfort to witness. And how many college students have the gas money or time for that?
