News - Page 2 of 131 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

10 Nov, 2025

Advisory Committee on Open Government to discuss public comment, bylaws at meeting Thursday
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Advisory Committee on Open Government to discuss public comment, bylaws at meeting Thursday

Advisory Committee on Open Government

Advisory Committee on Open Government to discuss public comment, bylaws at meeting Thursday

By Deborah Fisher|2025-11-10T14:49:10-06:00November 10, 2025|Categories: Advisory Committee on Open Government|Tags: ACOG, public comment|0 Comments

The Advisory Committee on Open Government is expected to approve its public comment policy and bylaws on Thursday and suggest potential topics to discuss at future meetings. The meeting is the second of the committee's this year and will be at 9 a.m. (CT) Thursday at the Comptroller's Office at the Cordell Hull building. The agenda largely includes organizational items as the committee just began meeting again in August after a hiatus that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee selected co-chairs at its Aug. 25 meeting — Brian Lapps, general counsel for the Tennessee Board of Regents, and Elisha Hodge, who has previously served as the Open Records Counsel [...]

10 Nov, 2025

Nashville judge rejects one argument for withholding immigration sweep records, but wants another hearing
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Nashville judge rejects one argument for withholding immigration sweep records, but wants another hearing

crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee

Nashville judge rejects one argument for withholding immigration sweep records, but wants another hearing

By Deborah Fisher|2025-11-10T10:49:15-06:00November 10, 2025|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: centralized immigration enforcement division, Chancellor Russell Perkins, incident reports, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, The Nashville Banner|0 Comments

A Davidson County judge rejected one of the Tennessee Highway Patrol's reasons for withholding records about a series of immigration stops in Nashville in May, but said another hearing would be held to determine how an exemption on personal information might apply to withholding information about trooper's identies.

5 Nov, 2025

TN Court of Appeals wrestles with copyright as exception to state public records act
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TN Court of Appeals wrestles with copyright as exception to state public records act

public records lawsuits Tennessee

TN Court of Appeals wrestles with copyright as exception to state public records act

By Deborah Fisher|2025-11-05T16:37:06-06:00November 5, 2025|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: copyright|0 Comments

A Tennessee Court of Appeals heard arguments in a case in which Nashville government denied access to records it collected in the Covenant School shooting that were created by the shooter, Audrey Hale. The parents of the children at the school argued that because they owned the copyright -- given to them by the shooter's parents -- Metro Nashville could not release them. A lower court agreed with the parents, ruling that the Copyright Act preempts the state's public records law.

27 Oct, 2025

‘We are reaching a point of crisis when it comes to accessing public information’
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‘We are reaching a point of crisis when it comes to accessing public information’

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

‘We are reaching a point of crisis when it comes to accessing public information’

By Deborah Fisher|2025-10-30T09:24:49-05:00October 27, 2025|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Marc Perrusquia|0 Comments

By Marc Perrusquia Earlier this week I had the honor of being recognized by the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government for my work in the freedom-of-information field. I’m grateful to TCOG for dubbing me an “Open Government Champion,” a sort of lifetime achievement award for journalists. I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot of good people over the years and this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my many colleagues at The Commercial Appeal, the Institute for Public Service Reporting and the University of Memphis. Awards are nice. But they also provide a chance to pause and reflect, to measure the pain and pleasure of our [...]

24 Oct, 2025

TCOG salutes open government champions
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TCOG salutes open government champions

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

TCOG salutes open government champions

By Deborah Fisher|2025-10-24T09:38:47-05:00October 24, 2025|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Dorothy Bowles, Ken Paulson, Marc Perrusquia, Phil Williams|0 Comments

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government honored four individuals at its Salute to Open Government Champions on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Riverside Revival in Nashville. More than 130 people attended the gathering to celebrate the honorees and support TCOG in its mission to preserve, protect and improve citizen access to public information and open government in Tennessee. Honored were Ken Paulson, Dr. Dorothy Bowles, Marc Perrusquia and Phil Williams.