New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took office promising “a new era of accountability and transparency.” Yet after winning his second term, his administration stands accused of routinely stonewalling even the most basic requests for public records.

Jennifer Borg, the general counsel of the North Jersey Media Group, which has eight lawsuits pending against the state, said “they’re putting up any roadblock they can.”

“Their default position appears to be to withhold records from the public even though the law requires the exact opposite,” said ACLU executive director Udi Ofer. “It shouldn’t take a lawsuit for the public to access what are undeniably public records.”

“The quality of the denials are getting dumber,” said lawyer Walter Luers, who specializes in such cases. “They’re just kind of making reasons to not give us stuff.”

Is the Gov trying to Hide Something?

Adapted from Chris Christie Faces Mounting Suits Over Public Records.