Text: (Minneapolis attorney John Borger wrote about the 1993 situation regarding legislative phone records as public data. John Borger argued on behalf of the Star Tribune and Paul Hannah argued on behalf of the Pioneer Press for access to legislators' phone records.)A 1993 tug of war over public access to legislative phone records ended with Ramsey CountyDistrict Judge Kathleen Gearin declaring legislative phone records to bepublic data and ordering the House Administrative Services Department tocomplete their physical release as quickly as possible. In re Grand JurySubpoena for Legislative Telephone Records, 21 Media L. Rep. 1345 (Minn.Dist. Ct., April 7, 1993). (See attached court record from the Library's files.)The legal analysis focused on theconstitutionality of a statute passed as part of an appropriations bill,stating that "notwithstanding any law to the contrary, legislator'stelephone records are private data." The decision did not expressly dealwith the Legislature as a "state agency," but the court stated it was"influenced" by the "presumption that all data is public in the State ofMinnesota unless declared otherwise by a specific statute."The legislature did not appeal, and on May 20, 1993, a bill was presentedto the governor stating: "Long-distance telephone bills paid for by thestate or a political subdivision, including those of representatives,senators, judges, constitutional officers, heads of departments andagencies, local officials, and employees thereof, are public data." Thatis now codified as Minn. Stat. 10.46.https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=10.46