The Tennessee Supreme Court Advisory Commission, consisting of judges and lawyers who recommend rules for the Tennessee courts, is opening its meetings to the public via livestream on Friday, June 9, 2023, after the Liberty Justice Center obtained a preliminary injunction on behalf of The Center Square Executive Editor Dan McCaleb.
“Because of Liberty Justice Center’s First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of Dan McCaleb, Executive Editor of The Center Square, Tennessee citizens will now get to observe how Court rules are made and better understand why this case is so important to protecting our Constitutional rights,” said Buck Dougherty, Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel.
This lawsuit is a fight for a more open and transparent government. In March, federal Court Judge Eli Richardson issued a preliminary injunction on behalf of McCaleb to open the quarterly meetings of the Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure. The Advisory Commission recommends changes to state court rules to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which may then submit them to the Tennessee General Assembly for approval. McCaleb argued these closed meetings were required to be open to the public under the First Amendment, and the Court agreed.
The public meeting, which will take place on Friday, June 9, 2023, will be the first open meeting since the preliminary injunction was issued by Judge Richardson and will begin at 9 A.M. Central and conclude at 12 P.M. Central. According to the Tennessee Administrative Court website, the Advisory Commission meeting tomorrow will be held virtually and live streamed here.