Q&A: Holidays and the Open Door Law

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From The Banner (Knightstown):

Q: Does the day after Thanksgiving qualify as a “holiday” under the Open Door Law’s notice provision? Would the answer vary depending on whether an individual town treats it as one for its employees, or is it recognized as such by the state? 

A: I don’t know of any public agencies that were open that day.

The Open Door Law provision lists “legal holidays,” and there is a statute (IC 1-1-9-1) that lists the legal holidays for Indiana. That code section states they are holidays “for all purposes.”

So I think a judge would rely on this list and not days taken by various local government units in attempting to interpret the legislature’s intent.

Contact Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, with media law questions at skey@hspa.com or (317) 624-4427.