Adjournments and stipulations churned mechanically as acting Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Peter Sweeney plowed through his 87-case calendar Monday — until a preposterous lawsuit caught his attention.
“I don’t want my name in the paper,” Sweeney said, apparently because he had been mentioned in this space last month.
Sorry, your honor, you have the chance to be renowned or reviled because the city fire unions are asking you to keep secret the names of public pensioners.
The state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, ruled unanimously in May that public retirement systems must release the names of pensioners, along with the amounts of their benefits.
The decision was a brief, to-the-point seven pages, giving Sweeney plenty of time to read and implement it swiftly, even with his large caseload. Editorial to follow in celebration of a jurist’s support of the public’s right to know.
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