An attorney for Cylvia Hayes told a judge in Salem Friday that the former Oregon first lady is a private citizen and should not be required to hand over her emails to the press.
The courtroom argument came in a lawsuit Hayes filed to block the release of more than 40,000 emails to the Oregonian newspaper.
In court, her attorney and an attorney for the Oregonian traded arguments about whether or not the court should allow those emails to be released to the Oregonian and by extension to the public.
Hayes was not present for the hearing. She and former Governor John Kitzhaber have kept a low profile since Kitzhaber resigned on February 18.
The two are under a federal criminal investigation for possible ethics lapses.