Georgia Watch filed an
amicus brief on September 20th
in support of the Petition for Writ of Certiorari in
Smith v. Northside
, a case pending before the Georgia Supreme Court. At issue is whether certain documents related to Northside's acquisition of four privately-owned physician practices should be available to the public under the Georgia Open Records Act.
"Georgia citizens have enjoyed access and transparency with regard to nonprofit organizations in lease agreements with hospital authorities for more than 20 years. This case threatens to erode that access," said Beth Stephens of Georgia Watch. "The outcome in this case also has broader implications for the multitude of private companies conducting public business in similar contract arrangements."
|
Trey brings to Georgia Watch
environmental justice, Berneta has spent the past few years working on issues from diesel pollution reduction and energy efficiency to solar energy access. She has engaged in this work in Chicago and Atlanta since graduating from the University of Iowa School of Law in 2013. Her interest in environmental justice and equity stem from her liberal arts background at the University of Iowa, where she also completed a Master's thesis centered on intersections of race, class and gender in American literature and culture. Currently, Berneta works at Southern Environmental Law Center where she engages in policy work around expanding access to solar energy and energy efficiency to low-to-moderate income families and communities of color. She joins Georgia Watch on October 10.
