Idaho Press Club wins public records lawsuit against Ada County

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The Idaho Press Club won its public records lawsuit against Ada County.

The Idaho Press reports the 4th District Judge Deborah Bail ruled in favor of the Idaho Press Club on Friday in its public records lawsuit against Ada County.

The court found evidence against the county for improperly withholding public records that reporters requested under the Idaho Public Records Act.

The judge said that evidence against the county for improperly and frivolously withholding public records was overwhelming.

Idaho Press released the following statement to CBS2.

"This is a great day for government transparency in the State of Idaho," said Melissa Dalvin, the Idaho Press Club Vice President. "The Idaho Press Club hopes other government entities pay attention to this ruling so we can avoid similar court battles in the future."

Ada County also released its own response:

"The Ada County Board of Commissioners believes ardently that public records are just that - public. Assessable and transparent government is a cornerstone of our democracy, and we will continue to support the media's access to all public records in our jurisdiction. We believe media play a critically important role in both informing the public, and ensuring that government entities manage the business of government in an open and honest manner. We will continue to provide all media with public records to which they are given access under Idaho law. As with all government agencies, personnel issues and protected information will remain protected. We will also provide in-depth training to all county custodians of public records so they can respond to public records requests in the most efficient manner possible."