State Ex Rel. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. v. Cincinnati City Council

Painter, Judge.

This is a case of statutory interpretation. The facts are not in dispute, and the only issue is whether the Charter of the City of Cincinnati allows the city council to meet in “executive sessions” that are closed to the public.

This is not a case about freedom of the press or open-meeting laws in general. Many governing bodies properly hold closed executive sessions, and the Ohio legislature has determined that executive sessions are permissible in certain situations. But closed sessions are permitted only if the governing document of the public body itself so allows.

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