The Iowa Supreme Court typically opens its rulings on the state's public-records and open-meetings laws by reciting that the cases start with a "presumption of openness." That is a marked change from a decade ago, when the court's decisions leaned decidedly toward public access and disclosure. Three of the newest justices -- Christopher McDonald, Dana Oxley and David May -- are the only members of the court with net records favoring confidentiality. The Supreme Court decided confidentiality for the employees' personnel files outweighed the public's interest in accountability. Appel, writing for the court in 2012, put the traditional rule plainly: "Freedom of information acts establish a liberal policy in favor of access to public records."