DES MOINES, IOWA (April 25, 2025) — Governor Kim Reynolds has filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register to protect the use of executive privilege for all Iowa governors past, present, and future.
“It is in the public’s interest that governors can receive candid advice from their closest advisors,” said Mason Mauro, spokesperson for Gov Reynolds. “We are confident that the judicial branch will recognize that governors have a constitutional executive privilege in Iowa, just as they recognized a legislative privilege last year, and have used a deliberative privilege to protect the communications of Iowa Supreme Court justices.”
Executive privilege allows a chief executive to receive confidential communications and work product from their closest advisors. This is a constitutional privilege that has been recognized by the United States Supreme Court and numerous state supreme courts across the country. Executive privilege has been used by every president, including George Washington. Following the adoption of Iowa’s public record laws, it has been used by both republican and democrat governors alike, making it a nonpartisan issue that is well recognized. It is unfortunate that state resources must be used to defend against the Register’s aggressive threats, but it is in the broader public interest to preserve the powers reserved in our constitution for the effective operation of government.
