Oral Argument Held on Discovery Motion in Public Records Case
Oral argument was held May 5, 2026 on Plaintiff's motion for limited discovery and an index of withheld records in the public-records case against the City of Phoenix and Councilwoman Laura Pastor.
On May 5, 2026, Maricopa County Superior Court held oral argument on Plaintiff’s Motion for Limited Discovery and Index in Thacker v. Phoenix & Pastor, Case No. CV2025-007652, before the Hon. Randall H. Warner.
The motion asks the court to order the City of Phoenix to:
- Produce an index of withheld records under A.R.S. § 39-121.01(D)(2); and
- Present a narrow Rule 30(b)(6) witness for deposition on search methodology, custodians, retention practices, and the City’s internal workflow for handling “high-profile PRRs.”
Background
The dispute arises from two public-records requests Plaintiff Jeremy Thacker submitted to the City on September 30, 2023. The requests sought communications between Council District 4 and the parties behind a 22-story rezoning proposal at Central & Glenrosa.
According to the filings, the City provided no substantive response for roughly seventeen months. Two days after suit was filed, the City responded by producing “no responsive records” for one request and a partial production for the other.
“High-Profile PRRs” Workflow
Discovery to date includes a March 14, 2025 internal email from a City Communications Manager listing Thacker by name on a “high profile PRRs” list, alongside reporters and activists. A colleague replied that the system should be set “to flag” their requests. Plaintiff’s pending motion centers on this workflow and its impact on the handling and timing of the requests at issue.
Next Steps
A trial-setting conference is scheduled for June 10, 2026. The court took the discovery motion under advisement at the conclusion of oral argument.
Plaintiff Thacker is a member of GOOD|GOAT. The organization did not yet exist when the matter began and is not a party to the case. GOOD|GOAT’s role is limited to research, indexing, and public coverage.
The full case page, docket, and filings are available at /cases/thacker-v-phoenix-pastor-prr.