Prison Legal News, Inc. v. Department of Corrections

¶1

Sanders, J.

The diffusion of information and the arraignment of all abuses at the bar of public reason, I deem [one of] the essential

*632principles of our government, and consequently [one of] those which ought to shape its administration.

—Thomas Jefferson[1]

¶2 We here consider whether identifying information in public records related to medical misconduct investigations in Washington prisons and patient information other than names or identification numbers are exempt from disclosure under the public disclosure act (PDA), chapter 42.17 RCW. We hold that the Department of Corrections (DOC) must…