ALBANY — The state’s highest court will hear a case brought by a conservative think tank challenging the refusal of the state Teachers Retirement System to provide data about pensioners, the Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
The Empire Center, an offshoot of the Manhattan Institute, filed suit last year when the TRS refused its Freedom of Information Law request for the data. The Empire Center publishes public spending data on its SeeThroughNY.net website.
Lower courts have ruled in favor of the TRS, but Empire Center officials said they’ll try again at the seven-judge Court of Appeals. The body also agreed to accept an amicus brief filed by several newspapers, including the Times Union, in support of the Empire Center’s position.
“We remain confident that the court will validate the public’s right to know how public pension funds are spent,” said Empire Center Director Tim Hoefer.
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