Kitty Hawk Resident, ACLU Sue Rep. Beverly Boswell for Public Records

RALEIGH – A North Carolina resident and the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today filed a lawsuit seeking the release of public records from North Carolina Representative Beverly Boswell.

Since April 2017, Kitty Hawk resident Craig Merrill has repeatedly asked Rep. Boswell to release public records of phone and email correspondence between her office and the residents and businesses she represents in North Carolina House District 6, which includes parts of Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, and Washington counties.

After more than nine months, Rep. Boswell’s office has still not released the communications, as required under the North Carolina Public Records Law.

“As an elected official, Rep. Boswell has a responsibility to her constituents, to the people of North Carolina, and to the law, to be transparent and release public records upon request,” said Chris Brook, Legal Director of the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation. “Transparency is crucial to our democracy. North Carolinians have a right to know what actions their elected officials are taking and why. Members of the General Assembly cannot ignore the law and their constituents.”

The lawsuit, filed in Wake County Superior Court, asks the court to order Rep. Boswell to preserve and release the records requested by Merrill.

“All I’ve ever asked for is public information about the work of my elected official,” Merrill said. “This is about more than just me – it’s about the rights of all North Carolinians to be informed and have transparency from their government.”