State Auditor Diana DiZoglio faces a new challenge in her battle to audit the state Legislature—the state’s judicial system.
“The courts decided on the heels of the passage of Question 1 to audit the Legislature, that passed by 72%, the courts decided that for the first time ever that we know of, that they are just not going to participate in audits anymore by our office either,” DiZoglio told listeners of WHAV last Thursday, during an appearance on “Win for Breakfast.”
DiZoglio, a Methuen Democrat, has been locked in a three-year battle with legislative leaders and state Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell over her initiative to undertake an administrative audit of the legislature. Legislators opposing DiZoglio argue an audit of the Legislature by another state agency violates the separation of powers clause in the state Constitution. Instead, they propose hiring of an outside audit firm.
In a wide-ranging interview with WHAV host Win Damon, DiZoglio outlined her new strategy for breaking the deadlock with legislative leaders and the state’s top judge.
She asked the public to support a new ballot question she is supporting which would expand the state public records law to include the governor’s office and the legislature. If the petition passes in the state’s November general election, DiZoglio said the financial and contract records she is seeking would be available to the general public as well as the state auditor.
In the meantime, DiZoglio said she is preparing to ask a single justice for permission to sue the Legislature to force the audit, which she believes would help inspire trust and confidence in state government. Audits protect taxpayer dollars and eliminate fraud and waste by identifying challenges and systems which can be tightened for better control, she said.
The state’s top watchdog reminded listeners that doing such an audit was her priority when she campaigned for auditor in 2021. When legislative leaders balked, she turned to the electorate and launched a petition campaign to put an audit of the Legislature on the ballot for the state’s 2024 General Election. It won by a landslide with 71.6% of the votes.
DiZoglio said resistance from the courts to continue regular administrative audits surfaced shortly after her ballot question passed and surprised her because administrative audits of the state’s various courts have always been routine. The last court DiZoglio’s office audited was the New Bedford District Court in 2024.
“We had a couple of justices, namely Justice Heidi Brieger and Justice Amy Blake of the appeals court and the trial court, just tell our office that, ‘You know what, the attorney general doesn’t think we have to be audited any more,’ and that essentially, and I am paraphrasing here, they think that’s great news,” DiZoglio said.
DiZoglio said she is stumped by the resistance because her intention was to do a website functionality review to make sure websites managed by the courts are assessable to those with disabilities. If issues were found, such as bad links or too small font sizes, DiZoglio’s staff would make suggestions for improvements. She noted she does not have legal powers of enforcement.
DiZoglio hoped to work out her disagreement with Justices Brieger and Blake but hasn’t seen a change of minds.
“I believe that their actions do nothing to help restore the public’s trust in the judiciary or any other area of state government. I believe it only does harm to the public’s trust in the system, DiZoglio argued.
In part 2, DiZoglio talks about efforts to reign in stipends, she said, House and Senate leaders use to ensure legislative loyalty.
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