Iowa's governor is taking the Des Moines Register to court over four withheld emails, sparking a legal clash that could shape how much the public gets to know about state government communications. Kim Reynolds filed a lawsuit in Polk County against the Register in response to the newspaper's open-records request, seeking court approval to withhold four emails that Reynolds' office claims are protected by executive privilege. The governor's office argues the emails were, as filings state, "intended to be confidential, and disclosure would inhibit the governor's ability to receive candid, fulsome, and robust information in the future," per the AP.
The matter began when a Register reporter submitted an open-records request in February. The governor's office served up 825 pages of documents but held back four emails, citing confidentiality concerns. The Register's attorney, Susan P. Elgin, challenged the withholding last week, arguing that executive privilege isn't recognized in Iowa's open-records law and called the decision "legally indefensible." She requested the records be produced within a week. Instead of releasing the emails, however, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed the lawsuit on Friday, asking the court to halt the Register's pursuit of the records.
Per Iowa law, the court can intervene in such cases. The AP reached out to Elgin for comment; Gannett Co., the Register's parent company, said it doesn't comment on ongoing litigation. In a statement, a governor spokesperson defended the decision to withhold the emails, noting, "It is in the public's interest that governors can receive candid advice from their closest advisers." The Register notes that just hours after Reynolds announced her suit, the ACLU of Iowa announced its own complaint against the governor, claiming her office withheld records that were "clearly nonprivileged." More here on the case that spurred the controversy. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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