Department of Public Safety v. Freedom of Information Commission

Opinion

GRUENDEL, J.

The doctrine of mootness holds that before a claimed controversy is entitled to adjudication on the merits, it must be demonstrated that an actual controversy exists. In this appeal, we are asked to decide what role, if any, that doctrine plays in proceedings before the defendant freedom of information commission (commission).1 The plaintiff, the department of public safety, appeals from the judgment of the trial court dismissing its appeal from the decision of the commission, which granted the request of a newspaper reporter to inspect certain police records. We reverse…