The battle over whether Washington lawmakers are entitled to shield certain records from the public using “legislative privilege” continued Thursday as oral arguments in the case were delivered at the Division II Court of Appeals in Tacoma.

The hearing marked the first major movement in courts regarding the controversy since 2023, when two judges in Thurston County ruled in favor of state lawmakers.

While legislators have claimed that a provision in the state constitution allows them to withhold working documents from the public, plaintiffs in two lawsuits argue that the state’s interpretation of the constitutional language is too broad, which could lead to even more secrecy despite Washington’s strong Public Records Act, which favors disclosure.

Plaintiff Arthur West, a prolific litiga

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