TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Nov 10, 2025

On Friday, Chancellor Russell T. Perkins partly granted and partly denied a petition filed by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) against the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, according to the Nashville Banner newsletter. TIRRC is seeking access to public records, including video footage, from an operation in May that involved more than 600 cars and nearly 200 arrests. The lawsuit alleges that the state has delayed providing video footage and should not have redacted badge numbers, officers’ names and other information in dispatch reports. The state argued that the disclosure would reveal “operational vulnerabilities." Perkins found that the state did not meet its burden of proof to withhold or redact documents, but he also said that identifying information not already disclosed should not be publicly revealed. Per his order, another hearing will be necessary to address disputes around the scope of the redactions.