Joy Ramsingh
Joy's practice focuses on transparent government issues and appellate litigation. She has significant experience with both in the private and public sector, counseling news media organizations, businesses, government entities, and individuals.
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Prior to establishing this practice, Joy worked at a private firm in Philadelphia exclusively handling transparency and media issues. Before that, she was an appeals officer at the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, where she also served as appellate and amicus curiae counsel. In that role, she also issued hundreds of binding legal opinions in public records appeals.
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In state government, she assisted with trainings, research, and the compilation of a case index including every significant public records court case decided since the advent of the law. While there, she represented the Office of Open Records as appellate counsel, successfully defending the constitutionality of the state's public records law.
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Joy counsels clients with public records issues across the nation and serves on the leadership board of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. Firms, news media organizations, and government agencies seek out and rely on her focused experience when dealing with public records litigation and compliance issues. She enjoys collecting antiquarian books in her free time.
Education
University of Tennessee, Juris Doctor
Magna Cum Laude, Order of the Coif, Moot Court Board
Concentration in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
Lipscomb University, Bachelor of Arts
Magna Cum Laude, Music
Contact
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Assistant: Jessica Harvey
Court Admissions
U.S. District for the Middle District of Tennessee
State Admissions
Tennessee
Pennsylvania
Georgia
Representative Matters
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Authored hundreds of binding open records legal opinions as an Appeals Officer at the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records
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Amicus Curiae Counsel on behalf of the Pennsylvania Office Of Open Records in a landmark case awarding over $100,000.00 to a requester in attorney's fees (Uniontown Newspapers Inc. v. Pa. Dept. of Corrections, 197 A.3d 825 (Pa. 2018))
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Amicus Curiae Counsel on behalf of the Pennsylvania Office Of Open Records defending the constitutionality of the Right-to-Know Law (County of Adams v. Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, Ryan McFarland and Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, No. 2019-S-907 (Adams Co. Ct. Comm. Pleas))
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Amicus Curiae Counsel on behalf of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records defending the constitutionality of the Right-to-Know Law (Lehighton Area School District v. Campbell, No. 19-0421 (Carbon Co. Ct. Comm. Pleas))
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Appellate Counsel on behalf of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records in a landmark case holding that a de facto regulator of scholastic sports was an "agency" for purposes of the Right-to-Know Law (Campbell v. PIAA, 661 M.D. 2020 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2020))​
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Lead Appellate Counsel on behalf of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation in a case of first impression concerning the accessibility of medical cannabis records
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Sunshine Act Counsel to citizen watch-dog groups and various Pennsylvania counties, providing counsel as to compliance with the law
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Appellate Co-Counsel in a landmark case involving the right of a public board member to seek and obtain board records for the purpose of ensuring public board transparency (Muth v. PSERS, 180 M.D. 2021 (Pa. Commw. Ct.))
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Counsel for Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism and the Macon Newsroom in a public records matter
Speaking Engagements
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The Case for Model Open Records Legislation, Virginia Coalition for Open Government, Semi-Annual Conference, May 18, 2022
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How to Request Police Video in PA, Allegheny County Bar Association, October 7, 2022
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Police or prosecutors? Who is really restricting access to law enforcement records and videos, and why? National Freedom of Information Coalition Annual Summit, October 19, 2022
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#MediaLawNetwork, National Freedom of Information Coalition Annual Summit, October 20, 2022
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The Filmed Blue Line: How to Get Body Cam Footage in a Post-Floyd Era, Society for Professional Journalists Annual Conference, October 28, 2022
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Open Records Workshop, Middle Georgia Regional Library, November 10, 2022 (in collaboration with Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism)
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Public Access and Transparency: New Opportunities and Obstacles in a post-pandemic Georgia, Georgia Bar Media & Judiciary Conference, February 24, 2023
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