Program Chairs:
Peter J. Block (and Presenter)
Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office
Milwaukee
Julie Wilson
Milwaukee City Attorney’s Office
Milwaukee
Presenters:
Scott Brown
Milwaukee Corporation Counsel
Milwaukee
James Davies
Milwaukee Corporation Counsel
Milwaukee
Paul M. Ferguson
Attorney General's Office
Madison
Tom Kamenick
Wisconsin Transparency Project
Port Washington
Elizabeth Majerus
City of Sheboygan
Sheboygan
Ben Sparks
American Oversight
Washington DC
Christa Westerberg
Pines Bach LLP
Madison
8:30 a.m. Case law Updates
Peter Block
8:55 a.m. Redacting Records in the 21st Century: Blacking Out, Blurring, and Editing
- When to redact records
- How to redact
- Charges for redaction
- Video redaction after 2023 Wisconsin Act 253
Ben Sparks, Christa Westerberg
9:45 a.m. Break
10:00 a.m. How the 2nd and 4th District Appellate Courts’ Decisions Differ in Their Application of Public Records Law
- Overview of Alliance v. Reynold and Alliance v. Secord
- Analysis of key differences in application of the public records law
- Interplay of statutory interpretation and public records law when applying the “except as otherwise provided by law” exception to a presumption of access
James Davies
10:50 a.m. Best Practices and Tips for Communicating Electronically
- Messaging during meetings
- Collaborative software
- Social media: best practices and Lindke v. Freed
- Hypotheticals and interactive scenarios
Moderator: Elizabeth Majerus
Panelists: Scott Brown, Paul M. Ferguson, Tom Kamenick
12:05 p.m. Program Concludes
- Receive a deep dive on redacting public records
- Discuss the implications of contradictory Wisconsin Court of Appeals rulings on public access to voter information
- Hear best practices for communicating electronically
- Examine the most significant case law updates from the past year
- Confidently advise clients in requesting records or responding to records requests
- Government lawyers
- Municipal lawyers
- Administrative and local government lawyers
- Civil rights lawyers
- Constitutional lawyers
- Criminal law practitioners
- Media lawyers
Book Bonus!
The Wisconsin Public Records and Open Meetings Handbook
Save 15% on The Wisconsin Public Records and Open Meetings Handbook.* Whether you represent a governmental entity, the media, or a private citizen, The Handbook offers practical guidance on public records law applications and the requirements for open meetings in Wisconsin. Use discount code CA3671 when you order online or by calling (800) 728-7788.
*Discount applies to both print and digital Books UnBound editions of this title and cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer valid through 12/31/25. For Books UnBound users, discount may be applied to purchase of individual Books UnBound title only and may not be used on the purchase of libraries. Discount cannot be combined with any other offers.