Final answer:
A notary should respond to an employer's request for a copy of their journal by following the applicable laws and regulations, which often require a court order or subpoena before disclosing sensitive information contained within the journal.
Step-by-step explanation:
If an employer requests a copy of a journal from a notary, the notary should respond according to the laws and regulations of their jurisdiction regarding notary record books. In many places, a notary journal is a record of notarial acts and may contain private or sensitive information. Usually, notaries are bound by confidentiality and cannot disclose the contents of their journal to third parties without a court order or subpoena.
Each entry in the notary journal typically includes details about the notarized transaction such as the date and type of notarial act, the identity of the person seeking the notarial service, and the type of documents notarized. Disclosing this information improperly could violate the privacy rights of those individuals whose information is recorded in the journal.
Therefore, the notary should inform the employer that they are unable to comply with the request unless the employer can provide a court order or another form of lawful authority compelling the notary to release information from their journal. This ensures that the notary adheres to legal requirements and ethical standards.