Case Records and Right-to-Know (FOIA) Requests

The records in this section were obtained via FOIA laws, which in New Hampshire are referred to as the “Right-to-Know” laws. These laws rest on the belief that taxpayers are entitled to transparency in their government, and that the public's ability to scrutinize its government is essential to ensuring officials are held accountable. The “Murray exemption” (named for Fred Murray’s 2006 court case) is an exception to the rule - allowing governments to withhold records that could “reasonably interfere with law enforcement proceedings.” As noted elsewhere, when the “Murray exemption” was coined, it was predicated on testimony of a “75% likelihood” of Maura’s disappearance resulting in a criminal prosecution. At the time, the “75% likelihood” seemed sufficient to “reasonably interfere with a law enforcement proceeding.”  However, the current state of inactivity 17 years after the decision is an indication it may be time to consider new legal action. (See the Murray v. NH Section for more information on that case.)