Nebraska Journalism Trust v. Dept. of Envt. & Energy

Summary

The court held that a requester may use a statutory writ of mandamus to challenge a public-records fee estimate containing allegedly unauthorized charges. It further held that the statute permits a public body to charge, after the first four cumulative hours, for nonattorney employees’ time reviewing records to determine whether they are responsive or may be withheld, including in part, under a statutory exemption. The court affirmed mandamus availability, vacated the writ and fee award, and remanded for the district court to determine whether the particular estimate included unauthorized charges.