News 2017: Peltz-Steele co-authors book on state freedom of information law

Professor Peltz-Steele co-authors book on Arkansas Freedom of Information Act

Professor Richard Peltz-Steele has co-authored the sixth edition of the legal reference book, The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, from The University of Arkansas Press, with Professors John J. Watkins and Robert Steinbuch.  The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act is the standard reference for the bench, the bar, and journalists in Arkansas for guidance in interpreting and applying the state open-government law.  The latest edition appears on the 50th anniversary of the state law, adopted in 1967, and incorporates the latest legislative enactments, judicial decisions, and Attorney General opinions on open records and open meetings.  Peltz-Steele taught in legal education in Arkansas for more than a dozen years before moving to UMass Law in 2011.  In that time he worked on open government initiatives in all three branches of state government, upon appointments by the Governor, the state Supreme Court, and state legislators.  As a part of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Coalition, Peltz-Steele vetted draft legislation and testified in the state legislature.  Peltz-Steele continues to serve on the academic advisory board of the Advance Arkansas Institute, a nonprofit research and educational organization committed to advancing public policy based on principles including transparency in government.  Watkins is emeritus professor of law at the University of Arkansas School of Law.  Steinbuch is professor of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas at Little Rock.