Over the weekend, Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R-La.) office informed Baton Rouge's The Advocate that it would release no emails from the governor's two terms in office, citing exemptions in the state's disclosure laws. The Advocate had requested Jindal's work-related emails on March 18, shortly after the kerfuffle erupted over Hillary Clinton's emails as secretary of state.
"Aside from the obvious reason for excluding security information," Thomas Enright, Jindal's chief lawyer, told The Advocate in a letter, "these content-based exemptions support the environment of open discussion and full analysis necessary for staff to make recommendations to assist the governor in the usual course of the duties and business of his office." Jindal only officially emails with internal staff, Enright added.
Louisiana does have broad exemptions in its public disclosure laws, thanks to Jindal, says The Advocate's Elizabeth Crisp: "Shortly after Jindal was elected on a platform pushing transparency and open government, he backed an overhaul of Louisiana’s public records law that redefined the Governor’s Office exemptions, shielding communication that would be considered part of the 'deliberative process.'"
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