Supreme Judicial Court of Maine
Keegan J. Fairfield v. Maine State Police
February 7, 2023288 A.3d 1220
Summary
The court affirmed the Superior Court’s order upholding the Maine State Police’s refusal to disclose certain DNA contamination logs and quality assurance records under FOAA. It held that the trial court created a sufficient factual record and did not clearly err in finding the withheld materials confidential under statutory privacy, DNA-record, and personnel-record exemptions. The court also announced a two-step appellate approach for FOAA cases involving large volumes of withheld records.