TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jul 6, 2026

A new state-controlled board of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority held its first meeting on July 6, elected Jimmy Granbery as chair and Deputy Gov. Stuart McWhorter as vice chair, and voted 5-0 to withdraw from a lawsuit against the state that the previous Metro-appointed board had joined. The board's makeup changed after a new state law took effect July 1, giving Republican legislative leaders six of nine board seats, marking the second time in three years the state has moved to seize control of the airport authority. The Nashville Business Journal reports that Metro Law Director Wally Dietz argued the new board isn't legitimately appointed and that its actions carry no legal effect, while the underlying lawsuit — which cites a federal law governing disputed airport sponsorship changes — remains pending. An initial hearing in that matter is set for Aug. 5 in federal court. Despite the unresolved litigation, the new board plans to press ahead with governance, including committee meetings and votes scheduled for July 8. A similar dispute also is playing out in the Chattanooga airport board's federal appeals case.