The group proposes amending RCW 42.56.010 to define courts, judges and court personnel as agencies subject to Washington’s public-records law; the measure now enters legal formatting and ballot-title review.
Let’s Go Washington wants courts, judges, clerks and court staff explicitly included as “agencies” under RCW 42.56.010 so they fall under the Public Records Act.
LGW founder Brian Heywood argues elected judges should face the same public-records requirements as elected legislators and other public officials.
Let's Go Washington (LGW) filed a ballot initiative that would change Washington's Public Records Act (PRA) by amending RCW 42.56.010. The proposed amendment would expressly include trial courts, the Court of Appeals, the Washington Supreme Court, justices, judges, clerks and court personnel in the statute's definition of an "agency." LGW says the change would make judicial branch records subject to the same public‑records rules that apply to the executive and legislative branches.
LGW's statement to The Center Square frames the proposal around parity: elected judges are accountable to the people and, LGW says, should not be categorically outside of PRA requirements simply because they serve in a different branch. LGW founder Brian Heywood told The Center Square that courts currently "are not subject to the PRA" and that the initiative is intended to "make sure that there's clear access to all the decisions, and how the sausage gets made" in every branch of state government.
The filing follows earlier judicial decisions that expanded PRA application in Washington. The brief cites a 2018 action by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Lanese, who applied public-records transparency law to individual legislators, concluding that the Public Records Act applies to offices of state senators and representatives. That action is part of a broader legal backdrop in which courts have been asked to clarify PRA coverage for different offices.
Next steps in the initiative process
Timing and potential campaign schedule
If sponsors choose to move forward after the code reviser's work, they could begin gathering signatures this fall if the timeline allows. LGW and supporters hope to qualify the measure in time to present it to lawmakers during the 2027 legislative session, or to put it on a future ballot depending on qualifying timelines.
Watch for the Code Reviser's Office review completion and for the AG's assignment of a ballot title. If LGW proceeds, signature-gathering activity and public debate over whether courts should be covered by the PRA will follow, and timing will determine whether the measure can reach lawmakers in the 2027 legislative session.
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