METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE & DAVIDSON COUNTY ET AL. v. BILL LEE ET AL. - Articles

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METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE & DAVIDSON COUNTY ET AL. v. BILL LEE ET AL.

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 3, 2025

Head Comment: ARMSTRONG dissenting

Court: TN Court of Appeals

Attorneys 1: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; J. Matthew Rice, Solicitor General; and Philip Hammersley, Senior Assistant Solicitor General, for the appellants, Bill Lee, Governor of the State of Tennessee; Tre Hargett, Tennessee Secretary of State; and Mark Goins, Tennessee Coordinator of Elections.

Attorneys 2: Wallace W. Dietz, Allison L. Bussell, Melissa Roberge, John K. Whitaker, Robert E. Cooper, Jr. and Wesley S. Love, Nashville, Tennessee, for the appellees, Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson Co.

Attorneys 3: David W. Garrison, Scott P. Tift, and John Spragens, for the appellees, Sandra Sepulveda, Judy Cummings, Alma Sanford, Delishia Porterfield, Quin Evans Segall, Zulfat Suara, Dave Goetz, and Davie Tucker.

Judge(s): STAFFORD

A three-judge panel was convened in this case to determine the constitutionality of 2023 Tennessee Public Chapter 21. While the case was pending, the trial court temporarily stayed implementation of subsection 1(b) of the legislation, the result of which was that the deadlines contained therein were rendered moot. In considering competing summary judgment motions, the trial court unanimously ruled that subsection 1(a) of the act was not also moot. In a divided decision, however, the trial court concluded that the legislation violated two provisions of the Tennessee Constitution: the home rule amendment and a clause exempting metropolitan governments from a twenty-five-member cap on county legislative bodies. Both parties appeal. We affirm the trial court’s ruling that subsection 1(a) is not moot. We reverse, however, its conclusion that the statute is barred by either constitutional provision at issue.

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