public records lawsuits Tennessee Archives - Page 16 of 20 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

1 Dec, 2014

After three years and a lawsuit, records from TSSAA finally made public

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T10:11:13-06:00December 1, 2014|Categories: functional equivalent, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: functional equivalent, Nashville Scene, Southcomm, Steve Cavendish, TSSAA|0 Comments

The Nashville Scene finally received records sought three years ago from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletics Association as part of an investigation into rule-breaking by an elite private school in Nashville. When the TSSAA refused to turn over details about rule violations regarding tuition assistance for athletes at Montgomery Bell Academy, the now-defunct City Paper in Nashville sued and won. City Paper was owned by Southcomm Inc.; Southcomm also owns the Nashville Scene. Steve Cavendish, now news editor for the Nashville Scene and former editor at the City Paper, wrote that the TSSAA finally turned over the records in November after the Tennessee Supreme Court declined to take the TSSAA's appeal [...]

1 Dec, 2014

Request to appeal Vanderbilt records case aims to settle what police can withhold from public

By Deborah Fisher|2014-12-01T10:00:12-06:00December 1, 2014|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Judge Neal McBrayer, Judge Richard Dinkins, litigation, Maria De Varenne, Robb Harvey, TCOG news, Vanderbilt rape case|0 Comments

The Tennessean, seven other media outlets, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and Tennessee Coalition for Open Government have filed a request with the Tennessee Supreme Court to appeal a lower court's ruling concerning what police can withhold from public view. The Court of Appeals in Nashville in a Sept. 30 ruling said that if a local law enforcement agency claims information is relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation, that information can be exempt from the Tennessee Public Records Act. Appellate Judge Neal McBrayer dissented, saying the specific police information requested in The Tennessean's case did not fall under a previously recognized exemption that protects some, but not all, information in a [...]

6 Oct, 2014

Dinkins opinion in public records case expands police secrecy powers
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Dinkins opinion in public records case expands police secrecy powers

crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee

Dinkins opinion in public records case expands police secrecy powers

By Deborah Fisher|2014-10-07T12:07:44-05:00October 6, 2014|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: crime records, Judge Neal McBrayer, Judge Richard Dinkins, police secrecy, The Tennessean|1 Comment

The Court of Appeals in Nashville last week kicked the can farther down the wrong road when it expanded police powers so they could keep just about anything and everything they want secret from citizens. Judge Richard Dinkins of the Court of Appeals, Nashville Specifically, Judge Richard Dinkins said that if your local police or sheriff’s department claims information is relevant to an ongoing investigation, they should be able to keep that information confidential. As police have concluded across the state when refusing to release basic documents about crime, “under investigation” covers almost everything they do. It’s not a harmless power to hand over. News media has been [...]

14 Jul, 2014

Newspapers delve into alleged Sunshine Law violations in zoning vote

By Deborah Fisher|2014-07-14T16:10:21-05:00July 14, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: economic development records, Greene County, Herbert Moncier, Knoxville News Sentinel, litigation, open meetings violation|0 Comments

The Knoxville News Sentinel in its Sunday edition digs into a lawsuit alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act in Greene County when approval was given to rezone land for a company that planned to make components for industrial explosives. The Greeneville Sun has also covered the lawsuit involving US Nitrogen extensively as well as reported stories on the plant's construction, application for permits and environmental opposition. Its stories can be found at this link. The Knoxnews.com article is reprinted here, with permission. You can read TCOG's column about the state's open government laws regarding economic development here. By Hugh G. Willett Special to the News Sentinel GREENEVILLE — The future [...]

14 Jul, 2014

Lawsuit probes secrecy in economic development

By Deborah Fisher|2015-02-26T05:06:58-06:00July 14, 2014|Categories: economic development, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: economic development records, Greene County, Herbert Moncier, litigation, open meetings violation|0 Comments

By Deborah Fisher Executive Director of Tennessee Coalition for Open Government When government officials get into the business of economic development, they usually face the choice between transparency and secrecy. Too often, they choose secrecy. And sometimes the law allows it. At the state level, specific exemptions to the Tennessee Public Records Act give the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development broad latitude to keep confidential who they are talking with and incentives they are offering. Only after a deal is done, and the state has signed on the dotted line about how much money it has agreed to give a company in exchange for jobs, can the public [...]