Sunshine and Government Accountability Project

The state of Missouri is defending itself with an argument that could deliver "fatal blows" to the Sunshine Law: As long as officials don’t bother to keep records in the first place, they can’t be held responsible for refusing to turn them over to the public.

A city-appointed group assembled to evaluate proposals to privatize St. Louis' airport held hours of closed-door meetings involving topics that should have been discussed publicly, according to an attorney who disclosed newly released recordings and documents.

A lawsuit filed Friday aims to open closed-door meetings and obtain documents held by a city working group considering leasing St. Louis Lambert…