Kentucky Open Government Coalition
The Kentucky Attorney General issued the following records last week:
1. 25-ORD-129 (In re: Merissa Henderson/Office of the Attorney General)
Summary: The Office of Attorney General did not violate the
Open Records Act when it denied a request for records
contained in the criminal prosecution file created and maintained by the
Office while acting as a special prosecutor.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-129.pdf
2. 25-ORD-130 (In re: Merissa Henderson/Commonwealth Attorney, 21st Judicial Circuit)
Summary: The Commonwealth Attorney for the 21st Judicial Circuit
did not violate the Open Records Act
when she denied a request for records contained in her
criminal investigation or litigation files.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-130.pdf
3. 25-ORD-131 (In re: Merissa Henderson/Rowan County Attorney)
Summary: The Rowan County Attorney did not
violate the Open Records Act when he denied a request for
records contained in his criminal investigation or litigation files.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-131.pdf
4. 25-ORD-132 (In re: Kurt Wallace/Bullitt County Attorney’s Office)
Summary: The Bullitt County Attorney’s Office violated
the Open Records Act when it failed to cite the specific
exception authorizing its redaction of responsive records. The Agency
did not violate the Act when it provided what it believed to be responsive
records or when it redacted personal information from public records.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-132.pdf
5. 25-ORD-133 (In re: Melanie Barker/Cabinet for Health and Family Services)
Summary: The Cabinet for Health and Family Services
violated the Open Records Act when it failed to explain how an exemption applied to public records. However, the Cabinet did not
violate the Act when it withheld, under KRS 61.878(1)(k), records the
disclosure of which is prohibited by KRS 205.175.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-133.pdf
6. 25-ORD-134 (In re: Kentucky Lantern/Energy and Environment Cabinet)
Summary: The Energy and Environment Cabinet did
not violate the Open Records Act when it withheld records
that were “preliminary drafts” under KRS 61.878(1)(i).
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-134.pdf
7. 25-OMD-135 (In re: Olivia Tipton/Oldham County Board of Education)
Summary: The Oldham County Board of Education
violated the Open Meetings Act when it failed to issue a
written response to a complaint within three business days. The Board
also violated the Act when it failed to keep a written notice of a special meeting posted at the meeting site for the entirety of the meeting and
when it held a portion of its meeting in a locked building.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-OMD-135.pdf
8. 25-ORD-136 (In re: LaWanna Wallen Brock/Kentucky Board of Cosmetology)
Summary: The Kentucky Board of Cosmetology did not violate the Open Records Act when it denied a request for failure to state the manner in which the requester was a resident of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-136.pdf
Republished from Kentucky Open Government Coalition under CC-BY-SA 4.0
https://kyopengov.org/blog/kentucky-attorney-generals-open-records-decisions-issued-last-week-60
Amye Bensenhaver is a retired assistant attorney general who, for twenty-five years, specialized in Kentucky’s open records and meetings laws. She is the co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
Fri, May 30, 2025
Commentary
Amye Bensenhaver
Kentucky Open Government Coalition
The Kentucky Attorney General issued the following records last week:
1. 25-ORD-129 (In re: Merissa Henderson/Office of the Attorney General)
Summary: The Office of Attorney General did not violate the
Open Records Act when it denied a request for records
contained in the criminal prosecution file created and maintained by the
Office while acting as a special prosecutor.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-129.pdf
2. 25-ORD-130 (In re: Merissa Henderson/Commonwealth Attorney, 21st Judicial Circuit)
Summary: The Commonwealth Attorney for the 21st Judicial Circuit
did not violate the Open Records Act
when she denied a request for records contained in her
criminal investigation or litigation files.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-130.pdf
3. 25-ORD-131 (In re: Merissa Henderson/Rowan County Attorney)
Summary: The Rowan County Attorney did not
violate the Open Records Act when he denied a request for
records contained in his criminal investigation or litigation files.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-131.pdf
4. 25-ORD-132 (In re: Kurt Wallace/Bullitt County Attorney’s Office)
Summary: The Bullitt County Attorney’s Office violated
the Open Records Act when it failed to cite the specific
exception authorizing its redaction of responsive records. The Agency
did not violate the Act when it provided what it believed to be responsive
records or when it redacted personal information from public records.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-132.pdf
5. 25-ORD-133 (In re: Melanie Barker/Cabinet for Health and Family Services)
Summary: The Cabinet for Health and Family Services
violated the Open Records Act when it failed to explain how an exemption applied to public records. However, the Cabinet did not
violate the Act when it withheld, under KRS 61.878(1)(k), records the
disclosure of which is prohibited by KRS 205.175.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-133.pdf
6. 25-ORD-134 (In re: Kentucky Lantern/Energy and Environment Cabinet)
Summary: The Energy and Environment Cabinet did
not violate the Open Records Act when it withheld records
that were “preliminary drafts” under KRS 61.878(1)(i).
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-134.pdf
7. 25-OMD-135 (In re: Olivia Tipton/Oldham County Board of Education)
Summary: The Oldham County Board of Education
violated the Open Meetings Act when it failed to issue a
written response to a complaint within three business days. The Board
also violated the Act when it failed to keep a written notice of a special meeting posted at the meeting site for the entirety of the meeting and
when it held a portion of its meeting in a locked building.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-OMD-135.pdf
8. 25-ORD-136 (In re: LaWanna Wallen Brock/Kentucky Board of Cosmetology)
Summary: The Kentucky Board of Cosmetology did not violate the Open Records Act when it denied a request for failure to state the manner in which the requester was a resident of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/orom/2025/25-ORD-136.pdf
Republished from Kentucky Open Government Coalition under CC-BY-SA 4.0
https://kyopengov.org/blog/kentucky-attorney-generals-open-records-decisions-issued-last-week-60
Amye Bensenhaver
Amye Bensenhaver is a retired assistant attorney general who, for twenty-five years, specialized in Kentucky’s open records and meetings laws. She is the co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.