Kay Ivey
Communications transparency
### Communications transparency

Shortly after being inaugurated for her second full term as governor in January 2023, Ivey signed an executive order aiming to promote transparency in state government by requiring agencies to respond to public records requests. The same month, the [Alabama Department of Transportation](/wiki/Alabama_Department_of_Transportation "Alabama Department of Transportation") acquired an emergency order to prevent the release of communications between its director, John Cooper, and Ivey's office. This came amid a lawsuit between the agency and the Baldwin County Bridge Company; Cooper sought to withhold these records from the Montgomery County Circuit Court, and cited "executive privilege" in doing so. Ivey signed an *[amicus curiae](/wiki/Amicus_curiae "Amicus curiae")* filing in support of Cooper's efforts to suppress the release of the communication records with her office. The signing occurred less than a week after the enactment of the transparency executive order.


When was Ivey inaugurated for her second full term as governor?