On October 15, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the state’s Public Records Act does not apply to court records. The Public Records Act is the same law that serves as the basis for the Washington Secretary of State’s decision to release the names and addresses of people who sign referendum and initiative petitions. The recent State Supreme Court decision has no direct bearing on the pending lawsuits over whether petition signers’ names become public or not, but it is an interesting coincidence that this law is the subject of so many lawsuits almost simultaneously.

The recent State Supreme Court opinion is City of Federal Way v Koenig, 82288-3. Thanks to Howard Bashman’s HowAppealing for this news.