The Supreme Court of Virginia says there’s no reversible error in a lower court’s ruling that the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office must release the names of its police officers in response to a public records request.

In Hanover Circuit Court, a lawyer for Hines argued that any employee could one day become an undercover officer. Disclosing their names would jeopardize future undercover operations. Unlike payroll, the specifics of an undercover operation can be withheld under Virginia public records laws.

Hanover Circuit Court Judge Patricia Kelly agreed with Hines, finding that it was lawful to withhold 90% of the department’s deputies’ names.

Minium and Bodoh appealed the ruling, which was overturned at the Court of Appeals in February. A three-judge panel found that Hines’ argument “flies in the face of the stated and clear purpose” of Virginia public records law.

Judges wrote that hypothetical future operations don’t justify secrecy. The county did not prove that a hypothetical operation tomorrow would be jeopardized by the knowledge of an officer’s name today, the judges said.

In declining to take up the case, the Supreme Court of Virginia did not offer a detailed explanation but rather provided a boilerplate response stating that the appeal had no merit.

“The Court is of the opinion there is no reversible error in the judgment complained of,” read the denial letter in the case.