Alaska Supreme Court says business emails on private accounts are public records

From Alaska Public Radio:

State employees can’t use private e-mail accounts to hide their work communication from public record laws. The State Supreme Court issued a decision on the matter on Friday, that largely affirms an earlier Superior Court Ruling.

The case dates back to the Sarah Palin Administration and addresses the tricky question of whether the state records law is keeping up with communication technology.

[…]

Dave Jones is an Assistant Attorney General with the Department of Law. He says the state is pleased with the court’s decision, which he says can be boiled down this way:

“What really determines whether something is a public record is its content not the means through which it’s transmitted,” Jones said.

For more on this story, see:

• Alaska governor doesn't plan change in records retention policy after Supreme Court ruling — Associated Press
• Alaska court says public business on private email still public — Associated Press
• Alaska high court says private emails OK for state business — Reuters
• Opinion from Anchorage Daily News