Paul McAdoo Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

31 Jul, 2025

After challenge by WBIR, judge opens juvenile court proceedings, records
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After challenge by WBIR, judge opens juvenile court proceedings, records

crime records, Open Courts

After challenge by WBIR, judge opens juvenile court proceedings, records

By Deborah Fisher|2025-07-31T12:15:44-05:00July 31, 2025|Categories: crime records, Open Courts|Tags: court access, Judge Casey Stokes, juvenile court, juveniles, Local Legal Initiative, Meigs County, Paul McAdoo, WBIR|0 Comments

After a challenge from WBIR in Knoxville, Meigs County Judge Casey Stokes reversed his closure of court proceedings and records in a juvenile murder case, opening future proceedings and access to most documents, including transcripts of previous hearings. WBIR reported on Monday the more detailed allegations against the 15-year-old revealed in the newly released court records: She went to bed angry that her father had taken away her phone and was trying to keep her from her boyfriend. Waking up later, she loaded her gun, checked on her younger brother and debated for about 20 minutes in her room before deciding to go into the living room and shoot her [...]

10 Jul, 2025

Judge rules Chattanooga City Council violated open meetings law with so-called informational meetings
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Judge rules Chattanooga City Council violated open meetings law with so-called informational meetings

Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits

Judge rules Chattanooga City Council violated open meetings law with so-called informational meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2025-07-10T11:55:46-05:00July 10, 2025|Categories: Open Meetings, open meetings lawsuits|Tags: Chattanooga City Council, informational meetings, Paul McAdoo, private meetings, public notice, redistricting, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Times Free Press|0 Comments

A judge found that the Chattanooga City Council violated the Open Meetings Act in developing its new voting district maps in 2021 and 2022. The city's arguments that closed meetings were simply "informational" and contained no deliberations or decision-making was refuted by evidence that included council members own comments about the process. In addition, the judge found that serial meetings held by city staff with each council member to get approval of a proposed map before presenting it in public at a full council meeting violated the open meetings act.

22 Nov, 2024

Tennessee Supreme Court to hear case on sealed court records
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Tennessee Supreme Court to hear case on sealed court records

court records, First Amendment, public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Tennessee Supreme Court to hear case on sealed court records

By Deborah Fisher|2024-11-22T11:08:52-06:00November 22, 2024|Categories: court records, First Amendment, public records lawsuits Tennessee, Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Angelita Dalton, Cheryl Blackburn, Daniel Horwitz, Paul McAdoo, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, sealed court records, Steve Cavendish, The Nashville Banner|0 Comments

The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in which a lower court judge refused to unseal court records in a test of the First Amendment right of access by the public to court proceedings and court documents.

30 Oct, 2024

TVA fights public records lawsuit over its grants to cryptocurrency mines
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TVA fights public records lawsuit over its grants to cryptocurrency mines

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

TVA fights public records lawsuit over its grants to cryptocurrency mines

By Deborah Fisher|2024-10-30T12:25:51-05:00October 30, 2024|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: economic development records, Knoxville News Sentinel, Paul McAdoo, public records lawsuit, TVA|0 Comments

The Tennessee Valley Authority has refused to release documents about its grants to cryptocurrency companies, including one in Knoxville, and is now fighting a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from a journalist and UT professor over it. TVA claims that releasing how much it gave the company in economic incentives would reveal its own trade secrets and violate the privacy rights of the employees in the companies that received the grants.

1 May, 2024

WBIR anchor files public records suit over denial of UT-Battelle records
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WBIR anchor files public records suit over denial of UT-Battelle records

public records lawsuits Tennessee, public university records

WBIR anchor files public records suit over denial of UT-Battelle records

By Deborah Fisher|2024-05-01T15:29:55-05:00May 1, 2024|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, public university records|Tags: John Becker, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Paul McAdoo, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, trade secrets, University of Tennessee, UT-Battelle, WBIR|1 Comment

Longtime WBIR journalist John Becker has filed a lawsuit challenging the University of Tennessee's denial of public records related to its joint venture, UT-Battelle LLC, which runs the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The case is set to be heard on May 31 in Knox County Chancery Court.