Walen v. Department of Corrections

This case involves the Freedom of Information Act (foia),1 the Administrative Procedures Act (apa),2 and the Department of Corrections Act (doca).3 We are asked to determine whether the foia applies to Department of Corrections disciplinary hearings. The foia covers any "contested case,” as defined by the apa. The hearing handbook’s4 definition of department disciplinary hearings falls within the apa definition of "contested case.” In its brief to this Court, the department states that it "does not contest that a prison disciplinary hearing meets the parameters” of the apa definition. The…