The lawsuit that Tennessee filed against Metro Nashville challenging the council size has been won by Metro Nashville.
In a recent legal battle, Metro has emerged victorious against Governor Lee’s challenge to the council’s size.
In a recent development, the Nashville government emerged victorious in a lawsuit against the State of Tennessee. As a result, there will be no reduction in the size of the Metro Council.
Upon seeing the passing of the law, Metro Nashville Law Director Wally Dietz intervened, describing it as an “egregious overreach.”
Metro has filed a lawsuit against Governor Bill Lee, Secretary of the Tennessee Department of State Tre Hargett and Coordinator of Elections for the State of Tennessee Mark Goins, in their official capacities.
The lawsuit has been resolved in favor of Metro, ensuring that the council’s size will remain unchanged. You can view the complete lawsuit either below or by following this link.
The Metro Council’s size is under scrutiny as a lawsuit challenges its constitutionality. The lawsuit argues that the current structure of the council violates the “one person, one vote” principle, as some districts have significantly more residents than others. The plaintiffs are seeking to reduce the number of council members from 35 to 21, which they believe will better align with the city’s population distribution. The case is currently being heard in court, and a decision is expected in the coming months.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell of Nashville expressed his satisfaction with the court’s decision.
O’Connell’s statement on the court ruling can be seen in its entirety below:
The recent court ruling that grants Nashville the power to determine the size of its Metropolitan Council is a cause of great satisfaction. The team led by Director of Law Wally Dietz deserves immense credit for their exceptional work during the legal proceedings. According to the Metro Charter, it is the right of the citizens of Nashville to decide the number of members in the Metro Council, and in 2015, we had already made it clear that we prefer 40 members.