Background
This template is for student journalists seeking to compel a Maryland state agency to turn over public records requested under the Maryland Public Information Act. The template provides a general outline for petitions filed in circuit court to enjoin the state agency from withholding the public record or to order the production of the public record, with areas for editing in brackets. The primary remedies for an aggrieved party under the MPIA are enjoining the state from withholding the public record or ordering the production of the public record. Md. Code Ann., State Gov’t § 10-623(c)(3). The MPIA also provides a provision for administrative appeal if the agency denying access is included within the Maryland Administrative Procedure Act. Md. Code Ann., State Gov’t §§ 10-201-10-300.