DES MOINES, Iowa — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from Sept. 30, 2020. Read more here.
Three media organizations and their reporters are suing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, alleging she has repeatedly violated the state's open records laws by ignoring requests for government records.
In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa (ACLU) is representing Laura Belin, who writes the liberal Bleeding Heartland blog; Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council; and Clark Kauffman, a reporter for the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
They say Reynolds’ office has refused public record requests for months. The lawsuit asks a judge to require Reynolds' office to supply requested records and to comply with future requests.
A spokesman for the Republican governor declined to comment on the lawsuit. A copy of the complaint has not been filed online as of Thursday evening.
A press release from the ACLU says the reporters have tried to get records for the last year and a half. The journalists hope to obtain records regarding the state's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ACLU says Reynolds' office has a "systemic lack of response." The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said they recognize that her office faced many challenges at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They said they were patient about the original delays, but as time went on, it became clear to them that her office was "simply ignoring multiple open records requests by multiple news organizations.
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