Senate Bill 39 is an attempt at "effectively reinstating the environment of secrecy that prevailed prior to that decision, but only as applied to police officers,” testified attorney Richard C. Gagliuso on Jan. 19 to the state Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Seacoast Newspapers case "reaffirmed the public policy in favor of open government enshrined in the Right-to-Know Law since its enactment in the 1960s," he explained.
Gagliuso, a member of NEFAC’s Board of Directors, represented Seacoast Newspapers in the state Supreme Court case last year. He testified on behalf of NEFAC and the New Hampshire Press Association submitting written comments as well as providing oral testimony.
With respect to accessing certain records like public employee personnel, investigatory and disciplinary records, Gagliuso explained, the Right-to-Know Law avoids making a categorical declaration in favor of a case-by-case balancing approach. Senate Bill 39 would forego this careful analysis in favor of “a broad, all-encompassing rule that exalts secrecy over transparency,” he said.
“I understand why some law enforcement officers may wish to return to the days when their conduct, good or bad, was a matter between them and their immediate superiors,” Gagliuso said. “But the Right-to-Know Law was never intended to cast a shroud over their conduct, and the law as it existed previously was never sound policy.”
For more information about the Seacoast Newspapers decision and recent changes to the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, please watch this webinar featuring Gagliuso and attorney Gregory V. Sullivan, also a member of NEFAC’s Board of Directors.
NEFAC is the leading advocate for First Amendment freedoms and open government in New England. It fights to protect press rights and promote transparency throughout the six-state region.
Learn more about how NEFAC is helping to keep law enforcement officers accountable here.
