However, Assistant Attorney General for Oklahoma Anthony Sykes said that this isn’t a valid reason to charge Blanchard thousands of dollars for this request. He said that the state’s law says that public bodies can only charge for the direct costs of searching and copying data when it comes to information requests. More than that, all the fees being charged must be disclosed publicly beforehand.
“The City has not posted a schedule of fees as required by the Open Records Act. Having failed to give the requisite notice of the fees charged for public access to City records, the City is foreclosed from charging search fees,” Sykes said. “If I were to conclude otherwise, there would be no incentive for public bodies to comply with the statute. They could simply ignore what the ORA requires and charge what they deem reasonable on a case-by-case basis.”
Teacher arrested for clapping in support of opposition at an AI data center meeting
At least 37 people arrested in 2026 so far for protesting against data centers, most for breaking 'petty rules'
Kansas town drops charges against teacher who clapped during public hearings on data centers
Blanchard is being charged with trespassing, a municipal crime with a penalty of just $200, making these charges very steep by comparison. Even though it might’ve been easier to plead guilty and pay the fine, the farmer is fighting the city on the grounds that it’s violating his right to free speech.
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/oklahoma-city-tries-to-charge-farmer-arrested-at-data-center-debate-usd17-000-for-body-cam-footage-of-the-incident-accused-faces-trespassing-charge-for-going-over-allotted-speaking-time-by-30-seconds-at-a-public-debate#main
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.