TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 27, 2024

The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case looking at whether judges improperly sealed files critical of Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cheryl Blackburn’s performance on the bench. The Nashville Banner, which is bringing the suit, says that defense attorneys and prosecutors have long been concerned about Blackburn’s performance following a stroke she had in 2021. According to the Banner, Blackburn stumbled over her words, misspoke and appeared to fall asleep multiple times during a recent case. When the news outlet attempted to unseal a motion allegedly making specific claims about Blackburn’s competency, the motion was denied. The Tennessee Court of Appeals later narrowly upheld that ruling. The high court now will consider the request. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the Tennessee Press Association have filed a brief supporting the Banner’s motion to unseal the documents.