The Nevada Attorney General’s office is facing serious heat for keeping public records under lock and key.
Critics say the state’s top law enforcement office is failing at one of its most basic jobs—following the law.
Dragging Its Feet on Public Records
When a government office gets a request for public records, the law says they have to respond within a certain time. But Nevada’s AG office seems to think those deadlines are just suggestions.
Take this example:
Last year, the Las Vegas Review-Journal asked for five months’ worth of calendars from different state offices. Other offices handed them over in weeks. The AG’s office? It kept pushing back the deadline for months.
Why?
The office gave different excuses. They said they had too many requests. They said deputy attorneys needed time to review everything.
Meanwhile, other agencies with just as much work managed to follow the law.
What’s the AG Trying to Hide?
That’s the big question.
When public officials don’t want to release records, it usually means something embarrassing—or worse—is in those documents. If there’s nothing to hide, why not just follow the law like everyone else?
But when Nevada State Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Clark) attempted to ask a member of the Attorney General’s staff about public records requests in a hearing on Friday, the committee chair, Assemblywoman Danielle Monroe-Moreno (D-Clark) – who also happens to be the chairman of the Nevada Democrat Party – attempted to shut him down:
WATCH: Moments ago, @nvdems chair @Daniele4NV tried to shut down Senator @JeffStoneNV when he asked @AaronDFordNV‘s staff about their well-known transparency issues.
What is Monroe-Moreno so afraid of?#NVleg #CultureOfCorruption pic.twitter.com/8AGMYoWEin
— Nevada War Room – Better NV PAC (@BetterNevadaPAC) February 21, 2025
Nevada’s Public Records Act is supposed to guarantee the public’s right to know.
In 2019, the law was even strengthened to prevent these kinds of delays. Agencies now have to give detailed reasons if they can’t provide records right away. If they break the law, people can sue.
But here’s the problem: There’s no real punishment for government officials who ignore the law. No fines. No firings. No personal consequences.
So, officials who don’t want to release something just drag their feet, hoping people will give up and move on.
A Statewide Problem
This isn’t just about the AG’s office.
Across Nevada, government agencies are getting bolder about refusing public records requests. And why wouldn’t they? If there’s no punishment, there’s no reason to follow the rules.
That’s exactly why some lawmakers and watchdog groups are calling for tougher enforcement. They say there need to be real penalties—fines or even firings—for officials who break the law.
Otherwise, nothing will change.
Defenders Say It’s Just Bureaucracy
Of course, not everyone thinks the AG’s office is doing something shady.
Defenders say the delays aren’t intentional. They argue that the office gets swamped with requests and needs time to review everything carefully.
But critics aren’t buying it. They point out that other state offices manage to follow the law, even with a high workload.
And if delays are a problem, the AG’s office could ask for more staff or streamline the process. Instead, it keeps delaying without real explanations.
Time for Reform?
The bottom line is this: Public records laws exist for a reason.
They let taxpayers see what their government is doing. They keep officials honest. When the office responsible for enforcing the law refuses to follow it, that’s a huge problem.
Nevadans deserve better. If officials won’t do the right thing on their own, maybe it’s time to make them.
Tougher penalties could be the only way to stop the government from hiding what the public has a right to see.
The question now is simple: Will Nevada’s leaders actually do something about it? Or will they keep letting officials break the rules without consequences?
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
