Robb Harvey Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

18 May, 2023

Sen. Gardenhire, Tennessean file public records lawsuits; Covenant parents seek to intervene
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Sen. Gardenhire, Tennessean file public records lawsuits; Covenant parents seek to intervene

crime records, investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee

Sen. Gardenhire, Tennessean file public records lawsuits; Covenant parents seek to intervene

By Deborah Fisher|2023-05-19T11:39:51-05:00May 18, 2023|Categories: crime records, investigative exemption, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Audrey Hale, Brent Gibson, Covenant parents, Covenant Presbyterian Church, crime records, crime victims, Eric G. Osborne, Holland & Knight, manifesto, Mike Hagar, Robb Harvey, Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, The Covenant School shooting, The Tennessean, Todd Gardenhire|0 Comments

The fight over the release of the Covenant School shooter's manifesto and other writings escalated Wednesday with state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and The Tennessean filing a public records lawsuit against Metro Nashville, and unnamed Covenant School parents filing motions to intervene in the current cases. Also, Assistant Police Chief Mike Hagar and police Lt. Brent Gibson filed declarations that police are still trying to determine if the shooter had any assistance planning the shooting or purchasing the weapons, with Gibson stating that it will take about 12 months to finish the investigation.

24 Apr, 2017

Proposed rule change could erode access to court records, lawyers say

By Deborah Fisher|2017-04-25T07:44:42-05:00April 24, 2017|Categories: court records|Tags: court records, Doug Pierce, John Williams, Rick Hollow, Robb Harvey, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Tennessee Bar Association, Tennessee Supreme Court|0 Comments

Some of the state’s leading news media attorneys are concerned that a proposed expansion of rules on public access to court records in Tennessee is overly broad and could erode access at the trial court level. The proposed change to the Tennessee Supreme Court rules would expand exemptions to the lower courts with language that one lawyer says is "vague to the point of potential constitutional infirmity." (Gavel illustration by www.weisspaarz.com, licensed under CC BY SA-2.0) The Tennessee Supreme Court has proposed changing Rule 34 “Policies and Guidelines Regarding Appellate Judicial Records,” which defines certain court records not open for inspection, such as unpublished drafts of judicial orders and [...]

30 Jun, 2015

Public hearings, survey to gather citizen, government input on public records fee proposal

By Deborah Fisher|2015-06-30T16:03:41-05:00June 30, 2015|Categories: fees|Tags: Advisory Committee on Open Government, Ann Butterworth, Blake Farmer, David Moore, Dick Williams, Don Long, fees for public records, Janet Kleinfelter, Lucian Pera, Robb Harvey, State Rep. Bob Ramsey, State Rep. Steve McDaniel, State Sen. Jim Tracy, Sumner County|0 Comments

Three public hearings will be held around the state in September to gather opinions and input about a legislative proposal to allow local and state government agencies to charge fees to citizens to inspect public records. Currently, the Tennessee Public Records Act says that citizens must be allowed to view public records for free, but citizens can be charged if they request copies of those records. In the case of copies, citizens by law can be charged both the actual cost of the copy and a per-hour labor fee for the time it takes to compile the records after the first hour. Open Records Counsel Ann Butterworth outlined her draft [...]

27 Feb, 2015

Reporters Committee, others file amicus brief in Tennessee police records case

By Deborah Fisher|2015-02-27T15:04:33-06:00February 27, 2015|Categories: crime records|Tags: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Robb Harvey, Tennessee Supreme Court, The Tennessean, Vanderbilt rape case|0 Comments

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression and the University of Virginia School of Law First Amendment Clinic have file an amicus brief with the Tennessee Supreme Court, arguing that a lower court's ruling went too far in saying law enforcement had the right to keep from public view a broad swath of police records. The case, The Tennessean et al. v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, started after the newspaper requested to see certain police records about a reported sexual assault in a Vanderbilt University dorm room. A trial court ruled that [...]

3 Feb, 2015

Judge seals evidence from Vanderbilt rape trial

By Deborah Fisher|2015-02-03T05:49:30-06:00February 3, 2015|Categories: court records|Tags: Judge Monte Watkins, protective order, Robb Harvey, sealed court records, The Tennessean, Vanderbilt rape case|0 Comments

The Tennessean reports that Judge Monte Watkins, in an unusual move, has sealed all evidence presented in the recent Vanderbilt rape trial of two former football players. An excerpt from the story: It is the third ruling in the case prohibiting increasingly more information from public disclosure. The newest order says it is "reasonable and appropriate" to seal all evidence that was presented during the 12-day trial. More than 75 exhibits — from text messages to clothing to computers — were presented during the trial, which was open to the public. Judge Monte Watkins signed the expanded order on Wednesday, one day after Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey, both 21, [...]