How to import and export lists of redaction reasons for FOIA

Your legal department has been sending memo after memo and even scheduled a meeting to discuss the new state-level privacy law that is based on the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). They have implemented a new requirement that makes it necessary to create an exemption log for every information request, even if it is not sent to the requester. This means that all of the members of your records department need to have matching lists of redaction reasons. The good news for your team is that only one person has to add the new law to their system and can share the updated redaction reason list with the rest of the team to avoid duplicating work.

How to add Redaction Reasons to CaseGuard Studio

• Open CaseGuard Studio.
• Click “Tools” in the top-left corner of your workspace.

• Select “List Manager” from the dropdown menu, then click “Redaction Reason.”

• The Redaction Reasons window will appear, presenting the current list of reasons available to you.
• To Edit an existing Redaction Reason, click the “Edit” icon.
• To Delete an existing Redaction Reason, click the “Delete”  icon.
  • Best Practice: CaseGuard Studio comes with pre-generated redaction reasons that may not apply to your department. Remove non-essential redaction reasons to avoid mislabeling.
• To add a new Redaction Reason, click the “Add New” button.

• In the Add/Edit Redaction Reason pop-up add the:
  • Exemption Type
  • Number
  • Color Code
    • Best Practice: Color coding based on exemption type allows you to see from a glance what kind of information is being redacted and why.
  • Material Withheld
  • A Brief Explanation of Why Material is Withheld
  • Legal / Statutory Basis
• When you are done, click “Save.”

• The new Redaction Reason will be available in all projects moving forward.

Export a list of Redaction Reasons

After creating a list of Redaction Reasons, it can be exported to be shared with other CaseGuard users within your agency.

• Using the same steps described earlier, return to the Redaction Reason window.

• Once the Redaction Reasons window appears, it will present the current list of reasons available to you.
• Click “Export” and CaseGuard will automatically download an .XML file onto your machine.
• Share this .XML file with other CaseGuard users via your preferred way of communication, like email.

Import a Redaction Reason list

• Using the same steps described earlier, return to the Redaction Reason window.

• The Redaction Reasons window will appear, presenting the current list of reasons available to you.
  • Best Practice: Meet regularly with your team to ensure that your redaction reasons are up to date to avoid any possible compliance issues or legal repercussions. 
• Click “Import” and your file explorer will open.

• Locate the .XML file containing the list of Redaction Reasons and click “Open.”

• The new Redaction Reasons will be automatically imported into CaseGuard Studio.