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The Open Meetings Law applies to “public bodies,” which include municipal governments (city councils, town boards, village board of trustees, school boards), state agencies, county offices, and public corporations. The law also covers committees and subcommittees that conduct business on behalf of these entities.
a court case: A case filed in a court to get permission or judgment for something, such as a divorce, property settlement agreement or child custody case. A case may be called a petition, complaint, information or indictment.
civil law: Laws that come from court decisions rather than from statutes (“codes”) or constitutions. Civil laws cover things like negligence, fraud and defamation.
court reporter: A person that writes down, word for word, what is said in a court trial. This can be done by stenography machine, shorthand or by recording devices. You can ask to see a copy of this record.
commitment: When a Judge orders that a person be kept in jail, often until he or she shows up for court. The Court can also order a person to stay away from certain people or places because of a mental illness.
citation: A number and letter that identifies a case, such as CR 98-1-000. The first two numbers show the year, the third character* indicates the county and the last six digits refer to the specific case.