This court case is active
Various news outlets have sued the state legislature, senate, house and relevant leaders for failure to comply with the Public Records Act (PRA). These outlets made PRA requests of each legislative office and elected members of the Legislature, who all took the position that they were not “agencies” subject to the PRA. The trial court found the offices of senators and representatives are indeed “agencies” under the PRA and the Washington Supreme Court has granted review. ACLU-WA filed an amicus brief focused on the importance of government transparency; the specific language of the PRA, its history, and purposes; and the constitutional implications of the public’s right to see and know what government actors are doing.
