Court panel halts implementation of Metro Council reduction

BY STEPHEN ELLIOTT

A panel of three judges — two Republicans from other parts of the state and one Nashville Democrat — on Monday ruled that the new state law requiring Nashville to cut its Metro Council in half cannot go into effect.

The panel granted Metro a temporary injunction, and a status conference is scheduled for next week.

Metro and individual plaintiffs argued that the state law illegally targeted Nashville, the only local legislative body that would have been affected by the legislation. Additionally, Metro and the other plaintiffs argued, dramatic changes to the city’s governing body so close to an election (candidates have already qualified for the elections later this year) would cause irreparable chaos in the electoral process.

The panel agreed with the plaintiffs that the law “results in upheaval of the election process, risks voter confusion, and potentially comprises the integrity of Davidson County’s August 3, 2023 general election.” The Metro Planning Department has already proposed potential maps for a Metro Council of 20 members.

Tennessee Republicans pushed the bill after the Metro Council, made up of 40 members, declined to support a bid for Nashville to host the 2024 Republican National Convention.

“We are grateful that the court issued an injunction based on its unanimous finding that Metro is likely to succeed on our claim that the Legislature violated the Constitution by changing the rules for Metro alone in the middle of an election,” Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said.

If there are no appeals, Metro Legal anticipates any changes to the size of the Metro Council would not go into effect until 2027 elections.

This story was first published by our sister publication Nashville Post.