A New Hampshire woman got away with taping a public official and was even allowed to present the tape as evidence in court, according to a ruling by New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General N. William Delker.

Delker called the woman’s actions “reprehensible. All citizens should fully trust their public officials. We never lie, even in court.” However, he continued that, “unfortunately, there is no law to put this woman in jail. I recommend that the state legislature take this up immediately.”

The woman is attempting to restore her children to her custody from the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth, and Family, and said that her attorney had encouraged her to tape the Division’s clerk. The woman’s attorney, Paula Werme, says that she often encourages her clients to tape officials of the Division, “because the Division lies and there’s no other way to prove it.”

Other public officials were incredulous. “The ramifications of this ruling are astounding,” said Portsmouth Police Prosecutor Robert Ducharme. “Police and other public officials have long enjoyed a constitutional right to lie and then deny those lies in court. But such a right means nothing if civilians are allowed to tape public officials willy-nilly.”