Open Meetings

24 Jan, 2023

Bill would allow local governing body members to attend meetings electronically

By |2023-01-24T10:26:35-06:00January 24, 2023|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Members of county and city legislative bodies in Tennessee would be able to attend meetings electronically, such as by videoconference or phone, when dealing with a family or medical emergency under a bill filed by a pair of lawmakers from Knox County. Sen. Richard Briggs and Rep. Dave Wright sponsored similar legislation in 2021, which failed in a House committee.

11 Jan, 2023

Bill seeks to give citizens better access to meeting agendas, material

By |2023-04-11T10:57:30-05:00January 11, 2023|Categories: Legislature, meeting agenda|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

A proposed bill would improve citizen access to meeting agendas and board packets before public meeting by requiring they be publicly accessible, such as on a government website, for 48 hours before the meeting. The bill would also require that agendas "clearly describe the matters to be discussed" in an effort to avoid vague references to potential action.

19 Dec, 2022

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

By |2023-01-02T17:00:37-06:00December 19, 2022|Categories: open meetings lawsuits|Tags: , , , , , , |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

By |2023-04-11T11:01:48-05:00July 29, 2022|Categories: adequate public notice, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: , , , , , , , |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.

23 Jun, 2022

Non-disparagement clause violates free-speech rights of Nashville school board members, court says

By |2022-06-23T10:38:18-05:00June 23, 2022|Categories: First Amendment, school boards|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

A school board's agreement to not say anything disparaging about a director of schools it fired violates the First Amendment free speech rights of school board members, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in a case upholding a lower court's decision.

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