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High Court Says Public Pension Names Fall Under Right-to-Know

The state Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that names and individual pension amounts are public information. The ruling opens the door for media to scrutinize how much former public workers collect in retirement.

About 18 months ago, the Union Leader asked to see the names and payouts to the 500 individuals with the highest pensions.

Citing vague language in the Right-to-Know law, the New Hampshire Retirement System declined to hand over the documents.

The Supreme Court has ruled the public’s right to the information trumps whatever privacy interests public retirees may have.

The Retirement System says it will comply with the court’s decision.

The Union Leader says it’s looking forward to receiving the data, but has not determined if it will ultimately use the information in a story.

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