Lawsuits Challenging Jindal Administration Over Use Of Public Records Exemption

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration is facing court challenges over attempts to keep records from the public. At issue is the use of a public records exemption successfully pushed by Jindal and added to state law during his first term.

Shreveport-based Willis-Knighton Health System sued the Department of Transportation and Development over its refusal to provide information about a highway extension project. The department claimed an exemption tied to the governor's "deliberative process," a permitted exemption under the open records law.

The lawsuit may be near settlement; a Tuesday hearing was postponed after officials said they would release the documents. But a separate lawsuit over another use of the exemption is pending. The News-Star newspaper in Monroe has sued the Education Department for denying a public records request using the exemption.