Editor’s note: Erin Galbally was one of the lawyers who represented Philadelphia Newspapers in Philadelphia Newspapers LLC v. Nutter.
Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act was designed to ensure transparency in government. These days, however, that laudable goal remains far from reality in Philadelphia. The act, also known as the Open Meetings Law, requires that governmental agencies provide public notice prior to official meetings and that such meetings be open to the public. More specifically, the act mandates, with few exceptions, that meetings involving “official action” or “deliberation” occur in public and not behind closed-doors.
