The Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1973 changed the legal status of presidential records. The PRA states that the United States owns the official records of the President and their staff. This changed the long-standing tradition of treating presidential records as the personal property of the President. The PRA also established a new structure for how presidents and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) manage presidential records.

The PRA allows the public to access presidential records through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The public can access records five years after the end of an administration. However, the president can restrict access to certain information for up to 12 years after leaving office. The president can invoke up to six specific restrictions.

The Presidential Records Act (PRA) was amended in 2014 by the Presidential and Federal Records Act Amendments of 2014. The amendments established new provisions, including:

The president and White House employees are prohibited from using personal email accounts to circumvent the PRA.

The president can transfer physical custody of their permanent electronic records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The Archivist is prohibited from making original presidential records available to anyone convicted of a crime related to the records.

The PRA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on November 26, 2014. The PRA establishes public ownership of all presidential records and defines the term "presidential records". The PRA allows the public to access presidential records five years after the end of an administration. The president can restrict access to certain information for up to 12 years after leaving office.

The president and White House employees are prohibited from using personal email accounts to circumvent the PRA.

Did Barry sign the PRA into law as he was simultaneously breaking it?