FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: NJ Town Shamed Into Ending Lawsuit Against Senior Citizen Who Asked for Public Records

After Elouise McDaniel, 82, went public with the lawsuit that was filed in September,  it drew attention from the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and Hackensack lawyer CJ Griffin, who agreed to represent the retired teacher at no cost.

"We look forward to Irvington dismissing this case, but it shouldn’t have taken national press coverage and the ACLU stepping in for them to back down," Griffin said in a statement. "This lawsuit should have never been filed in the first place. It was clearly an attempt to keep Ms. McDaniel from being civically engaged and 'checking under the hood' of her local government to make sure everything was operating correctly."

"Instead of treating civic engagement as a nuisance, towns should welcome the public’s desire to participate in government and improve their communities," she said.

Read more at New Jersey 101.5.