Judges strike down Tennessee law to cut Nashville council in half

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A panel of judges has struck down a 2023 change approved by Tennessee Republican lawmakers that would cut the size of Democratic-leaning Nashville’s Metro Council in half.

The decision Monday marks another court defeat for a series of state laws passed last year to cut into Nashville’s autonomy, extending to its international airport and pro sports facilities. The wave of restrictions followed a decision by local Nashville leaders to spike a proposal in 2022 to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to Music City.

In this week’s 2-1 ruling, the majority decided that state lawmakers designed a 20-member limit on the number of council members in metro governments to affect only Nashville, which has 40 people on its council. The law had previously been temporarily blocked in court so it would not affect the August 2023 council elections, prompting the attorney general’s office to decline to appeal and say the law would take effect for the 2027 elections.

The latest court decision halts the law permanently, declaring it unconstitutional under home rule protections in the Tennessee Constitution because it singles out Nashville and fails to require approval by local voters or two-thirds of the metro council.

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