wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2356 > Original Bill
The examination of any specific public record may be enjoined if, upon motion and affidavit by an agency or its representative , a person who is named in the record or to whom the record specifically pertains, or a person described in subsection (2) of this section, the superior court for the county in which the movant resides or in which the record is maintained, finds that such examination would clearly not be in the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage any person, or would substantially and irreparably damage vital governmental functions. An agency has the option of notifying persons named in the record or to whom a record specifically pertains or a person described in subsection (2) of this section, that release of a record has been requested. However, this option does not exist where the agency is required by law to provide such notice.
For public records of a law enforcement agency relating to a homicide, the victim's next of kin or, in the case of a minor child who is the next of kin, the child's legal guardian, may request by motion and affidavit that the record be enjoined pursuant to subsection (1) of this section. For purposes of this subsection, "next of kin" means the victim's spouse, state registered domestic partner, parents, siblings, or children, except that "next of kin" does not include such person if they are the perpetrator.