Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Tennessee Supreme Court Hears Metro Nashville Challenge to 2023 Council-size Law
Summary
Metro Nashville urged the Tennessee Supreme Court to strike or limit parts of a 2023 law (Public Chapter 21) that caps metropolitan council membership at 20, arguing the statute's transition mechanics and an exemption clause render it unconstitutional as local legislation; the state defended the law as a generally applicable cap and urged affirmance. The court recessed after first argument.
NASHVILLE ' The Tennessee Supreme Court heard argument in a challenge by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to a 2023 law the state says limits all metropolitan councils to 20 voting members.
Lisonbee Bussell, counsel for Metro Nashville, told the court the statute at issue (referred to in argument as Public Chapter 21) cannot be saved by judicial rewriting and that the General Assembly's drafting effectively "chips away" at local sovereignty. "The drafting strategy the law at issue here, public chapter 21, presents new and interesting constitutional issues," Bussell said, arguing the act's language and the Tennessee Constitution's exemption clause must be read together rather than ignored.
Bussell urged the justices to view the statute through the court's precedents on local legislation, saying Leach v. Wayne…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
