Schwartz v. Pennsylvania State Police

The Clinic and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania State Police on Dec. 20, 2021 to obtain records related to the Mariner East Pipeline protests. Schwartz seeks intervention from the Commonwealth Court to enforce a Final Determination from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records that ordered the Pennsylvania State Police to produce certain law enforcement officers’ communications. The lawsuit argues that Schwartz is entitled to access to these records, which relate to a matter of significant public interest: the Mariner East pipeline protests and the interaction of police with such protests. The Pennsylvania State Police denied Schwartz access to certain records in April 2021, claiming that they did not exist. In June 2021, the Office of Open Records ordered the Pennsylvania State Police either to produce the requested records or provide an affidavit demonstrating that it conducted an adequate search for documents that do not exist. Since then, the Pennsylvania State Police has failed to comply with the order. Clinic student Steven Marzagalli took the lead on drafting the Petition.

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