The Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic joined the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in representing PublicSource reporter Charlie Wolfson and PublicSource in an appeal concerning public access to the identities of law enforcement officers employed by Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

In January 2025, Wolfson submitted a request under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law seeking a list of all individuals employed by Allegheny County in 2024, including law enforcement officers. The request expressly allowed the county to redact the names of officers actively engaged in undercover or covert activities. The county partially denied the request, relying on several exemptions, including one that protects records that could reveal the identities of undercover law enforcement officers.

Wolfson and PublicSource appealed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR), arguing that the county had redacted the names of far more officers than those actively engaged in undercover work. In March 2025, the OOR ruled that Allegheny County could withhold the names of all law enforcement officers who had performed, or might perform, undercover duties, rather than limiting the exemption to officers currently involved in undercover or covert activities.

On behalf of Wolfson and PublicSource, Paula Knudsen Burke of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press appealed the OOR’s determination to the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. The appeal argued that the exemption should be interpreted narrowly and that the public has a significant interest in knowing the identities of public officials who are not actively engaged in undercover or covert law enforcement work.

Following a hearing on December 3, 2025, the Court of Common Pleas affirmed the OOR’s decision.

On March 19, 2026, Wolfson and PublicSource appealed to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Adam J. Tragone, the Local Journalism Project Attorney for Western Pennsylvania, along with Burke, will be representing PublicSource and Wolfson at the Commonwealth Court.

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