public record
RECORDS ORIGINATING WITH OR MAINTAINED BY A GOVERNMENT AND AVAILABLE FOR ACCESS BY THE PUBLIC
Public record; Record (administrative); Public Record; Local records; Town records; Administrative documents; Public records request; Public records requests
n. any information, minutes, files, accounts or other records which a governmental body is required to maintain and which must be accessible to scrutiny by the public. This includes the files of most legal actions. A court will take "judicial notice" of a public record (including hearsay in the record) introduced as evidence. For example: a recorded deed to show transfer of title or a criminal judgment are both public records.