DCS Affidavits Sealed, Documents Get New Redactions - Articles

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Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 29, 2025

On Wednesday, Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Moskal ordered the sealing of affidavits related to a Department of Children's Services (DCS) case that had been publicly available for years. The case stems from a petition by Memphis journalist Stacy Jacobson seeking access to documents related to the death of a 14-year-old boy. The initial documents contained redactions that the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled were too broad. Moskal also heard arguments over new redactions in related files, during which Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Senior Attorney Paul McAdoo, representing Jacobson, urged the judge to make sure the redactions were limited to details truly identifying of the child. McAdoo also pointed out that certain newly made redactions were not previously made in publicly posted versions of the DCS documents. The Nashville Banner reports on the developments in its daily newsletter.