Advancing Public Rights
Hawaii’s public records and open meetings laws declare:
Opening up the government processes to public scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public’s interest. Therefore the legislature declares that it is the policy of this State that the formation and conduct of public policy—the discussions, deliberations, decisions, and action of government agencies—shall be conducted as openly as possible.
Nevertheless, government agencies may delay production of records for months, charge high fees to gather information, submit vague meeting notices, or hold questionable closed session meetings. The expense and complexity of enforcing public access very often is a deal breaker, and agencies are never held accountable.
| Legal Advice & Representation | Offering free legal advice, and representation on a select basis, to members of the media and the public who need help with issues involving government transparency. |
| Solutions | Forging solutions that promote transparency and responsiveness in government to better serve the people of Hawai`i. |
| Public Rights | Advancing the public’s rights by investigating questionable government activity, advocating for corrective action, and, if needed, enforcing corrective measures in the courts. |
The Law Center is committed to developing solutions that promote transparency and responsiveness in government. Open government is a cornerstone of democracy and critical to an informed electorate. The Law Center strongly believes that government business should be conducted as openly as possible because secrecy only fuels distrust of public officials. Anyone with questions about access to government information or meetings in Hawaii may contact the Law Center for advice.
R. Brian Black
President and Executive Director
As Executive Director, Brian seeks to enhance the public dialogue between government and the community through a better informed citizenry.
Instilled with a strong community service ethic at Punahou School, Brian led the Civil Liberties Union at Harvard University, specialized in Public Law at Cornell University, clerked for a federal district court in Connecticut, and served as the inaugural fellow for the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law at New York University. When he returned to Hawaii in 2011 after almost a decade in private practice as a complex commercial litigator with Hogan Lovells in New York, he was motivated by a sense of civic duty to serve the local community.
Brian joined the Department of the Corporation Counsel for the City and County of Honolulu, assigned primarily to advise the Department of Environmental Services. Building on that experience, Brian uses innovative advocacy and a spirit of healthy government collaboration to further the Law Center’s mission.
Stephanie Frisinger is the current Fellow for The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest.
Prior Fellows
Civil Beat has been named the best overall news site in Hawaii for the 10th year in a row by the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter.
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Some kind of entertainment. Well, who wins. How long are they still. The sun peeped out from behind a cloud, bakes through the water.
The girl was combing her long wheat hair in preparation for another adventure. One cold November evening, Marina returned to her dorm. All crying. The path was not close, it was snowing, a nasty piercing wind was blowing. Drops of tears practically froze on the girl's cheeks.
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