States shield addresses of judges, workers after threats

By DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — More and more states are shielding the home addresses of judges and other public employees following attacks or threats made against them. The new laws add a layer of secrecy to government documents as a means of improving the personal safety of officials. They generally have received strong support in state legislatures. But some open-government advocates are raising concerns that the laws also could make it harder to hold public officials accountable. That’s because journalists sometimes rely on home addresses in public records to determine whether elected officials are paying their property taxes or actually living in the districts they represent.