In court, media outlets argue for access to legislative records

Jan 3, 2025 · In court, media outlets argue for access to legislative records The records of communications between legislators, staffers, lobbyists and others had been public for more than three decades before a change last year. ... following a separate lawsuit ruling that shielded a …

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Are legislative reports public records?

Legislators have largely exempted themselves from the state public records law, which says “reports or correspondence made or received” by individual members of the Legislature are not public records. This exemption was cited by the offices of each chamber when denying the request. ...

Can legislative records be made public?

The law exempts certain legislative records, such as correspondence with constituents, from being made public. But in practice, the Legislature exempts itself from disclosing records. Gov. Chris Christie denied a request for emails under an exemption for deliberative documents. ...

Are lawmakers' records public records based on deliberative process privilege?

Under a policy set by the Legislative Council, records of a legislator while in that lawmaker’s possession are not public records based on the deliberative process privilege and a state constitutional provision dealing with legislative immunity. But all lawmakers can decide whether to release information from their records. ...

What are legislative records?

Legislative records are narrowly defined under the state’s Right-to-Know Law and include financial records, bills, co-sponsorship memos, chamber rules and other documents, but notably, not emails or daily schedules. ...

Do lawmakers have access to public records?

State law says there is a “presumption of public accessibility to all public records,” although there are plenty of exemptions. The House speaker and minority leader released their emails in response to an AP request, but their Senate counterparts did not. All the top lawmakers declined to release detailed personal calendars. ...

Is the General Assembly subject to the Georgia open records law?

In emails denying the requests, legislative counsel Wayne Allen said the General Assembly is not subject to the Georgia Open Records Law. Allen cited a 1975 state Supreme Court decision in a case over access to legislative committee meetings. ...