Judge orders part of Arkansas AG's personnel record at state agency released

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge speaks to media at Trump Tower in this 2016 file photo.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge speaks to media at Trump Tower in this 2016 file photo.

A Pulaski County judge on Monday ordered that eight additional pages of Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s personnel record from her time as an attorney with the Department of Human Services be made public.

Rutledge’s complete employee file is being sought by a Democratic Party staffer who sued DHS earlier this month for redacted portions of the document. Rutledge is seeking re-election against Democrat Mike Lee.

After privately reviewing the redacted pages in his chambers for about 30 minutes, Circuit Judge Timothy Fox determined that eight pages worth of the record were subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Those eight pages included a one-page response from DHS in response to Rutledge’s unemployment claims after she left the department in 2007, as well as seven pages that “sheds light on the agency’s statutory duties,” Fox said.

The rest of the redacted file included information of a personal nature — such as Social Security numbers and employee benefits programs — that are not of public nature, Fox said.

Though Fox ordered the pages released, they will not be made public until he signs a written order, which could be at some point this week.

Attorneys for the department argued that none of the records should be released because Rutledge voluntarily quit her job there — even though revised portions of the record already made public indicate she was terminated for gross misconduct.

An attorney for the department said he was unsure if Fox’s decision would be appealed.

Kevin Crass, Rutledge’s private attorney, was allowed to submit to the court emails that he said proved Rutledge had voluntarily resigned, even though Rutledge is not a party to the lawsuit. Crass declined to comment on Fox’s decision.

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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