(The Center Square) – An open meetings law case involving the Tennessee Judicial Advisory Commission and The Center Square has been requested for hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Liberty Justice Center, a national nonprofit law firm, filed on behalf of Dan McCaleb, chief content officer of The Center Square, after the online news organization was denied access to the commission’s meeting.
The advisory commission closed its meetings in 2018 after a member of the public caused a disruption, according to court documents. Before 2018, the meetings were open to the public for 35 years.
The commission recommends changes to Tennessee’s court rules. Its members are appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled in 2025 that the First Amendment does not guarantee public access to the commission’s meetings. The ruling overturned a March 2023 preliminary injunction that ordered the advisory commission to keep its meetings open while the case continued.
“According to Defendant, Advisory Commission meetings are closed to the public to encourage honest and frank discussions at the meetings,” court records said.
Reilly Stephens, senior counsel for the plaintiff, said in a statement, “These meetings should not be removed from public view just because it’s inconvenient to those in power, and we ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review this decision to make it clear once and for all that these meetings should be open to the public and the media.”
