About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


2026 Op. Wash. Att'y Gen. 1 (2026)

handle is hein.sag/sagwa2026 and id is 1 raw text is: Home (/) I AG Opinions (/AGOopinions/opinion) I JUVENILE COURTS-COURT CLERK-RECORDS-STATUTES-Statutory obligation to provide the Office of Public Defense and the Office of Civil Legal Aid with access to court records. JUVENILE COURTS-COURT CLERK-RECORDS- STATUTES-Statutory obligation to provide the Office of Public Defense and the Office of Civil Legal Aid with access to court records. AGO 2026 No. 1 - Feb 25 2026 Attorney General RCW 13.50.010(13) and (14) require court clerks to provide the Office of Public Defense (OPD) and the Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA) access to court records. Existing statutes and court rules do not explicitly address whether court clerks may require OPD and OCLA to file notices of appearance as a precondition to records access under RCW 13.50.010(13) and (14), but such a requirement would conflict with the legislative intent of those statutes and the agencies' statutory prohibition from providing direct client representation. February 25, 2026 Larry Jefferson, Director Washington State Office of Public Defense PO Box 40957 Olympia, WA 98504 Sara Robbins, Director Office of Civil Legal Aid 1112 Quince Street SE MS-41183 Olympia, WA 98504 Dear Director Jefferson and Director Robbins: Cite As: AGO 2026 No. 1 1/8