04/27/2026
Officials representing two of the state’s three branches of government are arguing that large parts of their operations are shielded from the state’s open records law – while the third branch has had a far-reaching exemption for years.
In a trio of cases recently heard by the state’s Freedom of Information Commission – a watchdog agency responsible for determining what records are public and must be released – the administration of Gov. Ned Lamont, Connecticut Senate Democrats, and the Office of Legislative Management claim their branch doesn’t have to turn over records because a provision in the state constitution protects them from disclosure.
Two of those disputes stem from records requests by CT Insider: one seeking communications from or to a state senator at the center of a federal fraud investigation and another seeking budget requests submitted to the governor by his agency commissioners.
The cases raise a broader question about the scope of Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act: whether constitutional protections tied to the separation of powers can override a statute that experts consider among the nation’s strongest open records laws.