The Covenant School shooting Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

22 Jul, 2024

Judge cleared release for many Covenant shooting police records despite copyright ruling on manifesto
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Judge cleared release for many Covenant shooting police records despite copyright ruling on manifesto

crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee

Judge cleared release for many Covenant shooting police records despite copyright ruling on manifesto

By Deborah Fisher|2024-07-24T06:32:25-05:00July 22, 2024|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor I'Ashea Myles, copyright, Covenant parents, investigative exemption, Metro Nashville, police records, school security, The Covenant School shooting|0 Comments

Much attention has been given to a ruling by Chancellor I'Ashea Myles blocking release of the Covenant School shooter's manifesto and other writings. But a closer look at the ruling shows that she has cleared the way for release of other records in the case as soon as police officially finish their investigation. In March, police said the investigation would be over in June. In mid-June, they said it would be over in July. So is a release of records imminent?

13 Jun, 2024

Judge Myles goes after press for publishing information from leaked documents in Covenant case
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Judge Myles goes after press for publishing information from leaked documents in Covenant case

crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee

Judge Myles goes after press for publishing information from leaked documents in Covenant case

By Deborah Fisher|2024-06-13T21:44:57-05:00June 13, 2024|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Chancellor I'Ashea Myles, Michael Patrick Leahy, prior restraint, The Covenant School shooting, The Tennessee Star|0 Comments

Davidson County Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles is going after the press for publishing information from leaked documents from the police investigative file of the Covenant case involving the 2023 school shooting. Specifically, on Monday she ordered Michael Patrick Leahy, editor and owner of the online Tennessee Star, to appear in court on the next Monday, June 17, to explain why his publication of information from leaked documents on his website does not violate her orders and why Leahy should not be held in contempt and sanctioned.

21 May, 2024

Lawmakers retain public inspection of autopsy reports of minors, but prohibit release of copies
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Lawmakers retain public inspection of autopsy reports of minors, but prohibit release of copies

crime records, Legislature

Lawmakers retain public inspection of autopsy reports of minors, but prohibit release of copies

By Deborah Fisher|2024-05-21T10:12:48-05:00May 21, 2024|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: autopsy reports, crime victims, minors, Rebecca Alexander, State Rep. William Lamberth, State Sen. Shane Reeves, The Covenant School shooting|0 Comments

A contentious bill to close autopsy reports of minors whose cause of death is listed as a homicide ended up with a compromise: Copies cannot be released but a person can still inspect such reports in person. The bill was first introduced in the special session called by the governor in the wake of the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville in which six people were killed, including three children. The parents of at least one of the children was deeply alarmed that the autopsy report of her child could be released to the public. The bill got stuck in the Senate during the special session and was reintroduced in 2024. It passed with the amendment, a compromise sought by TCOG and news media organizations.

15 Aug, 2023

Autopsy reports of children killed by violence would be confidential under proposed bill
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Autopsy reports of children killed by violence would be confidential under proposed bill

crime records, Legislature

Autopsy reports of children killed by violence would be confidential under proposed bill

By Deborah Fisher|2023-08-22T16:16:25-05:00August 15, 2023|Categories: crime records, Legislature|Tags: autopsy reports, legislation, State Rep. William Lamberth, The Covenant School shooting|0 Comments

House Majority Leader William Lamberth has filed a bill for the special session next week that would close autopsies and other reports of medical examiners in cases involving "victims of violent crime who are minors." The bill, HB 7007, seeks to make those reports and autopsies of children who are 17 and younger "not public documents."

20 Jun, 2023

Release the Covenant crime records: An aware public can help stop additional attacks
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Release the Covenant crime records: An aware public can help stop additional attacks

crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee

Release the Covenant crime records: An aware public can help stop additional attacks

By Deborah Fisher|2023-06-21T09:22:43-05:00June 20, 2023|Categories: crime records, public records lawsuits Tennessee|Tags: Covenant parents, crime victims, The Covenant School shooting, victim rights|0 Comments

The mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville has led to an extraordinary legal battle over the public records law and transparency of our criminal justice system. The school, the church that owns the school and the parents of the schoolchildren are seeking to stop the public from seeing evidence collected by police in one of the most horrific crimes in Nashville in recent memory, saying that it would be too painful and inspire more school shootings.