public records lawsuits Tennessee Archives - Page 6 of 20 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

2 Nov, 2020

TN Democratic Party’s public records suit over absentee ballots misfires
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TN Democratic Party’s public records suit over absentee ballots misfires

public records lawsuits Tennessee, state records

TN Democratic Party’s public records suit over absentee ballots misfires

By Deborah Fisher|2021-01-27T17:03:42-06:00November 2, 2020|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, state records|Tags: absentee ballots, Chancellor Patricia Moskal, elections, Marquita Bradshaw, Tennessee Democratic Party, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, voter records|0 Comments

Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Moskal denied a request for an injunction to force the production of data that could show which Tennesseans have not yet returned absentee ballots. Her ruling was based largely on lack of proof that a public records request for the data had actually been made. In an election eve hearing today, attorney Benjamin Gastel of Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, argued that his client, the Tennessee Democratic Party, and the other plaintiff, the Marquita Bradshaw for Senate Campaign, had requested the data from five county election commissions and the Secretary of State's office. Chancellor Patricia Moskal Gastel said they wanted to find out the names of the [...]

7 Jul, 2020

Judge affirms ruling in case against Knox County sheriff, information emerges about withheld records

By Deborah Fisher|2020-07-07T14:33:05-05:00July 7, 2020|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: arrest records, Knox County Sheriff, Meghan Conley, public records requests|0 Comments

Knox County Chancellor John Weaver last week declined a motion by the Knox County Sheriff to alter his order in a recent public records case, even as new information emerged that even more requested records had been withheld. The sheriff had argued that parts of the order were too onerous, such as making arrest reports freely available for public inspection and having to respond to requests that might be generally phrased. Weaver in April had ruled in Conley v. Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler that the Knox County Sheriff’s Office violated the public records law in denying access to public records sought by a University of Tennessee sociology professor related to immigration enforcement. [...]

7 Jul, 2020

Judge rules Tennessee School Boards Association is ‘functional equivalent’

By Deborah Fisher|2020-07-07T14:29:48-05:00July 7, 2020|Categories: functional equivalent, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Beacon Center of Tennessee, functional equivalent, Tennessee School Boards Association|0 Comments

A Davidson County judge ruled Monday that the Tennessee School Boards Association is subject to the state public records law because it is a functional equivalent of a government agency. Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal ruled that the Tennessee School Boards Association is subject to the public records law as a functional equivalent of a government agency. "As a functional equivalent of a governmental agency, the public records in the possession of TSBA, including its training materials, communications regarding its legislative agendas, and its position statements on stated education law and funding, are public records subject to he provisions of the TPRA," Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal wrote in her ruling. (See [...]

3 Jul, 2020

Resident files open meetings, public records lawsuit against Lebanon City Council

By Deborah Fisher|2020-07-03T10:08:53-05:00July 3, 2020|Categories: open meetings lawsuits, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: attorney-client privilege, Lebanon City Council, Lorrie Hicks, meeting minutes|0 Comments

Lebanon City Council members are facing a lawsuit over violations of the Open Meetings Act and public records law because of a meeting closed to the public, and failing to provide meeting minutes. (Photo of Lebanon City Hall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons) The Lebanon City Council, despite undergoing training in the open meetings and public records law last year to settle a legal claim, must now face a judge over new allegations. "We had given them the opportunity before and obviously they still don't follow the law even after the training," said Lorrie Hicks, who filed a lawsuit last week alleging new violations of the open meetings and [...]

13 Apr, 2020

Judge rules against Knox County sheriff in public records case, puts department under court orders

By Deborah Fisher|2020-05-09T13:17:02-05:00April 13, 2020|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Knox County Sheriff, Meghan Conley|1 Comment

Chancellor John Weaver ruled on April 9, 2020, in favor of Meghan Conley, who sued the Knox County sheriff over its responses to her public records requests. In an important win for access to public records, Knox County Chancellor John Weaver found the Knox County Sheriff's Office violated the public records law in its responses to a sociology professor seeking access to records related to immigration enforcement. Knox County Chancellor John Weaver After a public records case that stretched on for a year, Weaver issued a court order on April 9 in Meghan Conley v. Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler that requires the sheriff's office to comply with provisions of [...]