OLYMPIA — A push by media groups to gain access to the records of state lawmakers is before Washington’s highest court.
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Tuesday in a case that will determine whether legislators are subject to the same disclosure rules that apply to other elected officials under the voter-approved Public Records Act.
The hearing is the culmination of a case that began with a September 2017 lawsuit filed by a media coalition, led by The Associated Press, which said lawmakers were violating the law by not releasing emails, daily schedules and reports of sexual harassment.
A Thurston County superior court judge ruled in January 2018 that while the Legislature was not subject to the Public Records Act, the statute was clear that the offices of individual lawmakers were covered.