Judge blocks deposition of Blunt on e-mails

JEFFERSON CITY — A judge has blocked efforts to take the sworn testimony of Gov. Matt Blunt in an investigation into his office’s e-mail practices.

A bipartisan pair of special assistant attorneys general had sought to depose Blunt on Thursday as part of their probe into whether the governor’s office violated Missouri’s open-records law and document retention policies.

In a court hearing on Tuesday, Blunt’s attorneys claimed an executive privilege shielding the governor from a wide-ranging deposition notice.

Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan quashed the notice of deposition, agreeing it was overly broad.

Investigating attorneys still could narrow their parameters and make another attempt to take Blunt’s deposition.