KSL files motion seeking release of AG’s calendar in public records fight
Nov 29, 2023, 6:52 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The KSL Investigators have been fighting for over a year to show you how Utah’s attorney general spends his time.
That fight to see his schedule took us to 3rd District Court. And it continued Wednesday, with a motion filed by KSL for summary judgment.
KSL’s motion asks a judge to order release of the records without the case going to trial. In the court filing, attorneys for KSL argue the AG’s calendar falls under Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). They contend Utahns are entitled to know what our elected leaders are up to.
“If there is any north star in GRAMA’s purpose, it is that the public is entitled to know how its public officials — particularly high-level elected officials like the attorney general — are doing their jobs,” the motion states. “A calendar is the most basic form of such transparency.”
Attorney General Sean Reyes disagrees. He and his office have said his work schedule’s not subject to the state open records law because it’s kept on the same calendar as his personal appointments.
“I’m not going to get into all the details, because we’re litigating that case,” Reyes told KSL earlier this month. “But I can tell you as far as calendars, those aren’t records.”
In May, the State Records Committee rejected that argument and sided with KSL. The Attorney General’s Office appealed that decision to the district court.
A hearing has not yet been scheduled.
