Judges axe Tennessee GOP's halving of Nashville Metropolitan Council: report

11 April 2023

The Nashville Metropolitan Council will be allowed to maintain its 40 seats, as part of a temporary order handed down by three Tennessee judges.

According to CBS News, the order was issued on Monday, April 10, a month after Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed the proposal into law.

Per the news outlet: "Three state court trial judges — one from Nashville, one from Shelby County and one in Athens, Tennessee — agreed, saying there is a 'compelling public interest in preserving the integrity of the Metro election process that is already underway.'"

The ruling follows Republican lawmakers' efforts to slash the council's number of seats in half. Although the city has operated with 40 seats since 1963, the new statute would have required a change in districts no later than May 1, 2023; a deadline some officials insist is unreasonable.

The news outlet also noted, "Nashville government officials who sued have argued that changing the council's makeup now will throw this year's elections into chaos, in part because it would require redrawing district boundaries after more than 40 candidates have launched campaigns."

The ruling handed down on Monday placed a pause on the requirement and it is contingent on the outcome of the lawsuit.

"The Court finds the implementation of the Act and its reduction provisions at this late date results in upheaval of the election process, risks voter confusion, and potentially comprises the integrity of Davidson County's August 3, 2023, general election," the judges wrote.

In a statement, Wally Dietz, who serves as Nashville's city-county government's law director, insisted that city officials are "grateful that the court issued an injunction based on its unanimous finding that Metro is likely to succeed on our claim that the Legislature violated the Constitution by changing the rules for Metro alone in the middle of an election."

CBS News' full report is available at this link.

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