(The Center Square) – The Tennessee Star published the full 90-page journal of the person who shot and killed three children and three school staff at Nashville’s Covenant School in March 2023.
The shooter, a female who identified as a male, was shot and killed by responding police officers.
Tennessee Star Editor Michael Patrick Leahy was part of a public records lawsuit seeking to release the journals. He was called into court regarding the publication of stories regarding the journals by Tennessee Chancery Court Judge l’Ashea Myles but was not held in contempt for those stories.
Myles later ruled that Metro Nashville Police could not release those records.
But Leahy, whose publication received the journal from a confidential source, published the full journal this week.
The journal and a spiral notebook were found in the shooter’s vehicle the day of the shooting, Leahy wrote.
“We have had a First Amendment right to publish these unredacted documents from the moment we legally obtained them,” Leahy said in a statement.
Leahy and the Tennessee Star appealed Myles’ ruling on July 31.
He explained that the Tennessee Star waited to publish the complete journal until now because the publication was first waiting for Myles ruling and funding for potential legal defense if Myles were to resurrect claims against him.
He also wrote that there is a copyright claim on the writings and has hired legal representation in case those claims are brought against the Tennessee Star.
“We consider the ownership claim to be dubious at best and the copyright claim to be without merit,” Leahy wrote. “We also believe that the fair use doctrine would prohibit the successful litigation of any copyright infringement claim that might be brought against us for publishing this journal.”