Book Review: Public Records Act Manual for the State of Washington
by Derek Gronquist reviewed by Sam Rutherford
The Public Records Act Manual for the State of Washington (2nd Ed. 2020), by Derek Gronquist, is a must have compendium for anyone, from the novice record requestor to attorneys experienced in public records litigation, interested in pursuing public records requests from governmental agencies within the state of Washington. It is by far the most comprehensive and complete encyclopedia of Washington public records law currently available.
Gronquist is an experienced pro se litigator who has successfully pursued public records cases at all levels of the state court system. He has drawn on his substantial experience to provide a well thought out and detailed guide on public records law and litigation in Washington.
The Manual is 534 pages long, broken into nine chapters that cover every aspect of the Public Records Act (PRA), Chapter 42.56 RCW, including but not limited to its history and purpose, the types of records subject to disclosure, statutory and case law exemptions from disclosure, instructions on how to initiate a records request, state agencies’ affirmative duties under PRA, record retention policies and how and when PRA requires agencies to respond to records requests, plus how to enforce PRA by filing an action in superior court and beyond.
Each section of the Manual contains extensive commentary with citation to relevant cases and statutes current through April 1, 2020. The accuracy, thoroughness, and insightfulness of the commentary and citation to legal authority is on par with what practicing attorneys would expect to find in a leading legal treatise, yet the information is presented in such a way that the novice record requestor will not find it difficult to digest, comprehend and, most importantly, put to good use obtaining the records he or she seeks.
In addition to chapters covering the PRA itself, there are subsections dedicated to explaining the process for seeking judicial review of an agency’s denial of access to records. Topics span stages of a case from filing a complaint through discovery to seeking appellate review of adverse trial court rulings. Perhaps most useful to the novice requestor is the extensive library of forms contained in the appendix, demonstrating exactly how every conceivable document required during public records litigation should be drafted.
Whether you are a journalist pursuing a story that requires access to public records, a concerned citizen wanting to know what the government is up to, or an attorney who litigates PRA cases, the Manual should be within arm’s reach of your computer. It is available from Amazon for just $49.95 by following this link: https://www.amazon.com/Public-Records-Manual-Derek-Gronquist/dp/B08Q6HK111.