Sunshine Act Case Summaries

Below are archived summaries of state Commonwealth and Supreme Court rulings impacting the interpretation of Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act (open meetings law). Links to court opinions are included, when available.

We’ve temporarily suspended summarizing these cases. Please check back later for new content.


Fact-finding meetings can be held in private

The Commonwealth Court held that meetings of a quorum of township supervisors can be held in private if they are fact-finding in nature, even if the meetings were designed to allow the supervisors to gather information to make a decision at a later date.
The court suggested that the only meetings that must be open to the public are meetings where official action is taken or a specific proposal or petition is discussed.