Mike Reitz over at the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has written up a worrying little story on EFF’s blog, Liberty Live. The Seattle Education Association has gone to court to prevent the release of public records, in this case union-related e-mails sent using the Seattle school district’s network. The judge has sealed the e-mails, unfortunately, because the school district effectively cooperated with the union’s obstruction by not seriously contesting the union’s move.

As Reitz puts it, the teachers union (with the aid of the district) is undermining open government:

This provides a blueprint for all those who love government secrecy. A citizen requests specific documents. An interested third party sues to prevent disclosure. The government entity throws up a weak defense, and the records are sealed by the court. Unless a private citizen has thousands of dollars to intervene, the cause of open government is subverted.