Associated Press et al. v. Washington State Legislature et al.
The Reporters Committee and 16 media organizations filed an amicus brief in Associated Press et al. v. Washington State Legislature et al., a case before the Washington Supreme Court. Seattle news media organizations brought suit to require the Washington State Legislature, its members’ offices, and its members to comply with public records requests. The amicus brief emphasizes the importance of disclosure of legislative records to the public and the press and highlights the massive public outcry that came when the legislature attempted to pass a new bill in 2018 to exempt itself from the provisions of the Washington Public Records Act, which the governor vetoed. The amicus brief also describes other states’ public records laws concerning access to records of legislators and the legislature and explains that Washington state case law supports the news media parties’ argument that the state legislature must disclose its records under the Washington Public Records Act. Attorneys from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP served as local counsel for the amicus brief.