Lawyers for the Tennessee legislative office believe the state’s public records don’t apply to the legislative body, and it would violate the separation of government powers for a court to compel legislators to release documents related to their investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Republican Rep. Scotty Campbell.
Attorneys for the Tennessee Office of Legislative Administration made these statements in a Davidson County Chancery Court filing earlier this month in response to a lawsuit by Brian Manookian, who is seeking a broad array of public records related to the ethics investigations and personal schedules of top House officials.
The case also has the potential to widen the door on what records fall under the deliberative process privilege exemption, which Gov. Bill Lee has used to deny numerous public record requests by journalists.
News organizations around the state are also watching the case as they decide whether to challenge records denials by the legislative office to provide payment records that were part of the Campbell investigation.