Missouri must pay $240,000 for public record violations by Josh Hawley’s attorney general office

A Cole County judge in November concluded Josh Hawley’s staff illegally refused to turn over public records out of concern it could have hurt his 2018 Senate campaign
A Cole County judge on Wednesday ordered the state to pay more than $240,000 in legal fees as part of a ruling that found the attorney general’s office “knowingly and purposefully” violated open records law while it was being run by now-U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley.

“A big win for transparency, election fairness and the rule of law,” Mark Pedroli, an attorney on the case and founder of the Sunshine and Government Accountability, wrote on Thursday morning.

Late last year, Cole County Judge Jon Beetem determined the attorney general’s office violated the Sunshine Law by taking steps to conceal emails between Hawley’s taxpayer-funded staff and his political consultants during his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate.