The Memphis city shelter has decided to no longer disclose medical treatment records of the animals in its care upon a public records request, claiming animals have a right to privacy over their medical records.
A citizen cannot be thrown out of a public meeting simply because he or she offends, antagonizes or harshly criticizes a governing body or members of a governing body during public comment period, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said this month.
A federal district judge is scheduled to hold a bench trial in Nashville late this summer to decide if a ban on livestreaming meetings of the Montgomery County Commission violates the First Amendment. His decision could turn on whether the ban is narrowly tailored enough to address the government’s concern about security of commission chambers.
In the last redistricting a decade ago, citizens in Tennessee had about one week to review proposed new legislative maps before they were adopted. That's not enough time. The maps should be made available earlier so that citizens can review them and offer feedback before they are a done deal. [...]
A recent report by investigative journalist Marc Perrusquia details the excessive redaction of body camera footage, obscuring information and leading to high labor costs and delays when journalists and members of the public want to view it. The report, "Inaccessible: Police Body Camera Footage Is Often Expensive, Heavily Edited And Takes Months To Get", was published by the Institute for Public Service Reporting in Memphis where Perrusquia is director. The report is especially relevant and timely because a law that allows redaction of certain parts of body camera footage is set to expire July 1, 2022. [...]