Ep. 15 Legislative Secrecy

In this episode of The Public Records Officer Podcast, Jamie Nixon takes on one of the biggest transparency fights in Washington State: the Legislature’s push to keep its internal deliberations hidden from the public. After years of rhetoric about openness and restraint, courts have now handed lawmakers a powerful new shield — legislative privilege grounded in separation of powers. What does that mean in practice? More redactions, more withheld records, and less public access to the decisions being made in your name. 

Jamie breaks down the recent appellate rulings, explains how this privilege is being used, and shows why the real-world result is a system where access to records can depend on which legislator you ask. He also examines a proposed constitutional amendment from Senators Jesse Solomon and Adrian Cortes that could give voters a chance to push back against this growing culture of secrecy. 

This episode is about more than one court loss. It is about whether democracy can function when lawmakers claim the right to deliberate in secret while everyone else in government remains subject to public scrutiny. If you care about open government, public accountability, and the public’s right to know, this one matters.