Reynolds Goes to Court to Shield Records From Iowa Newspaper

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is suing the Des Moines Register to block Register reports from seeing records she claims are overly intrusive.

The Register reports that the lawsuit was filed on April 25th and claims that records sought by Register reporters under Iowa's open-record laws are subject to 'executive privilege'. While federal courts have recognized executive privilege for the American presidency, the Register reports that Iowa's open records law does not include an exemption for executive privilege.

What Were the Reporters Looking For?

The root of the dispute is over the language used to describe Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations as "money laundering operations." The Register reports that Reynolds agreed with a social media post using that language, but then, a week later, while testifying on Capitol Hill, claimed that she did not believe those allegations were true.

Getty Images

In the aftermath of her remarks, the Register filed a records request on February 11th asking for emails from senior Reynolds advisors that mentioned the Lutheran Services controversy, according to the Register. Reynolds' office produced more than 800 pages, but withheld four emails citing executive privilege.

Governor Reynolds Has Been Sued Over Records Before

In 2023, the Iowa American Civil Liberties Union challenged Governor Reynolds over a public records request. The Register reports that the ACLU represented several Iowa journalists in a case that eventually went to the Iowa Supreme Court. The Court found that Reynolds had failed to promptly respond to requests from reporters, and that she had violated state law.