Chapter §8.6 Conclusion

• Jurisdiction: Washington

§8.6 CONCLUSION

The Washington Supreme Court has recognized that "[t]he stated purpose of the Public Records Act is nothing less than the preservation of the most central tenets of representative government, namely, the sovereignty of the people and the accountability to the people of public officials and institutions." Prog. Animal Welfare Soc'y v. Univ. of Wash. (PAWS II), 125 Wn.2d 243, 251, 884 P.2d 592 (1995). The Act mandates that "[c]ourts shall take into account the policy of this chapter that free and open examination of public records is in the public interest, even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment to public officials or others." RCW 42.56.550(3).

"Privacy" under the PRA must be read in this light. The Act sets forth a stringent test for determining when something can be deemed to violate the right to privacy, and when disclosure is necessary for accountability, privacy interests will not prevent disclosure. Moreover, the Act requires that agencies redact only that information essential to protect such a right and release the rest of the...