§ 40.270 Rule 509. Public officer privilege

A government worker cannot be forced to testify or answer questions in court about certain public records that the law says can be kept private. These are records that Oregon law already protects from public disclosure under specific statutes (ORS 192.338, 192.345, and 192.355).

This means if a record falls into one of these protected categories, the public officer who holds it does not have to reveal its contents during legal proceedings. The protection covers things like certain law enforcement records, personal information, or other records the legislature has decided should stay confidential.

For people involved in a case, this rule limits what you can get from a public officer through testimony. If you want information from a record that fits one of these exempt categories, you likely cannot get it by questioning the officer directly in court. You would need to look at whether another legal path exists to access that information, since this rule specifically blocks using courtroom testimony to get around the usual rules protecting these records.