Does Arbitrator's Ruling Trump the Public Records Act?

This article from the Bellingham Herald describes a request by the Herald for records which were ordered destroyed by an arbitrator in a construction dispute. The judge wants briefing on the issue of whether the arbitrator's ruling controls over the Public Records Act.

The article quotes Greg Overstreet of Allied Law Group, the firm representing the Herald.

UPDATED: Many Editorials and Articles on R-71 Case

Here they are:

The (Longview) Daily News editorial.

The (Vancouver) Columbian editorial.

The Tri-City Herald editorial.

Kitsap Sun blog piece on Tim Eyman versus Sam Reed on the R-71 issue.

There are so many stories and editorials on this case, og-blog will be bringing them to you with little comment, just links, like above.

UPDATE: Here is The Olympian's editorial.

Wash. Coalition for Open Gov't Honors State Auditor Brian Sonntag

This article from Sound Politics describes the recent open-government award given by the Washington Coalition for Open Government to State Auditor Brian Sonntag.

For the record, Sonntag rules.

Reporter and Public Excluded from Court Proceeding Involving Judge

This (Tacoma) News-Tribune editorial describes the exclusion of a reporter and the public from hearing a witness provide testimony in a criminal case against a Pierce County judge.

The Washington state constitution, Article I section 10, is pretty clear on this: "Justice in all cases shall be administered openly, and without unnecessary delay." Of all the things the public needs to see, to know that no one is getting special breaks, is the criminal trial of a judge. This is exactly why Article I section 10 exists.

EFF Calls Out AG on Yousoufian Amicus Brief

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation criticizes Attorney General Rob McKenna's decision to file a less-than-pro open government amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in the Yousoufian case on penalties in Public Records Act cases.

R-71: The Other Side of the Story

This op-ed piece in The (Everett) Herald provides the argument for why the referendum signatures should be withheld from disclosure under the First Amendment.