open meetings lawsuits Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

23 Jul, 2025

What it takes to win an open meetings lawsuit in Tennessee — a look at the Memphis superintendent case
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What it takes to win an open meetings lawsuit in Tennessee — a look at the Memphis superintendent case

Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits, school boards

What it takes to win an open meetings lawsuit in Tennessee — a look at the Memphis superintendent case

By Deborah Fisher|2025-07-23T14:02:34-05:00July 23, 2025|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits, school boards|Tags: Johnston v. Metro. Gov't of Nashville, Marie Feagins, Shelby County School Board|0 Comments

The Court of Appeals has ruled that discussions by members of governing bodies in private can violate the open meetings law, but someone bringing an open meetings lawsuit must present enough evidence to show that the members meeting privately were deliberating, engaging in substantive discussion about their positions or attempting to develop a consensus. Whether fired superintendent Marie Feagins can do that in her case against the Memphis-Shelby County School Board is up to a judge. But the public also has a role in deciding what kind of transparency they want from their local school board.

10 Jul, 2025

Judge rules Chattanooga City Council violated open meetings law with so-called informational meetings
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Judge rules Chattanooga City Council violated open meetings law with so-called informational meetings

Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits

Judge rules Chattanooga City Council violated open meetings law with so-called informational meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2025-07-10T11:55:46-05:00July 10, 2025|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Chattanooga City Council, informational meetings, Paul McAdoo, private meetings, public notice, redistricting, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Times Free Press|0 Comments

A judge found that the Chattanooga City Council violated the Open Meetings Act in developing its new voting district maps in 2021 and 2022. The city's arguments that closed meetings were simply "informational" and contained no deliberations or decision-making was refuted by evidence that included council members own comments about the process. In addition, the judge found that serial meetings held by city staff with each council member to get approval of a proposed map before presenting it in public at a full council meeting violated the open meetings act.

19 Dec, 2022

Private meetings on Chattanooga redistricting violated open meetings law, lawsuit alleges
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Private meetings on Chattanooga redistricting violated open meetings law, lawsuit alleges

open meetings lawsuits

Private meetings on Chattanooga redistricting violated open meetings law, lawsuit alleges

By Deborah Fisher|2023-01-02T17:00:37-06:00December 19, 2022|Categories: open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Chattanooga, Chattanooga City Council, litigation, private meetings, public notice, redistricting, Times Free Press|2 Comments

A redistricting committee made up of Chattanooga city councilmembers violated the open meetings act when it convened privately to make decisions and deliberate on the city's new voting district maps, a lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit by the Chattanooga Times Free Press also alleges that councilmembers violated the open meetings act when the city's executive staff, at the request of the redistricting committee, met individually with council members to decide on the contours of each of their new districts.

29 Jul, 2022

Court of Appeals whittles away public notice protections of open meeting law
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Court of Appeals whittles away public notice protections of open meeting law

adequate public notice, open meetings lawsuits

Court of Appeals whittles away public notice protections of open meeting law

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T11:01:48-05:00July 29, 2022|Categories: adequate public notice, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: adequate notice, agendas, Court of Appeals, Dickson County Commission, Judge Andy Bennett, open meetings, planning commission, Titan Partners|0 Comments

A Tennessee Court of Appeals rolled back the meaning of the open meetings law in a surprising ruling when it said that a governing body does not have to give public notice of an important upcoming vote as part of its agenda, even when the vote is on an issue of widespread community interest.

14 Jun, 2022

Judge declines to issue order allowing press to cover Judicial Conference
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Judge declines to issue order allowing press to cover Judicial Conference

Open Courts, open meetings lawsuits

Judge declines to issue order allowing press to cover Judicial Conference

By Deborah Fisher|2022-06-16T08:28:58-05:00June 14, 2022|Categories: Open Courts, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Administrative Office of the Courts, Buck Dougherty, court access, First Amendment, Janet Kleinfelter, Liberty Justice Center, Rachel Harmon, Tennessee Judicial Conference, The Center Media, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr.|0 Comments

A federal judge declined on Tuesday to issue a temporary restraining order requested by a media organization that wanted to cover the Tennessee Judicial Conference annual meeting after getting assurances from a deputy attorney general that the meeting to take place on Wednesday was only an educational "CLE for judges."