NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — On Monday evening, Nashville's Metro Council won a lawsuit against Governor Bill Lee and the State of Tennessee — officially denying the move to cut Metro Council down from 40 members to 20.
Metro sued the state in early March after lawmakers passed a bill that would cut their council down from 40 members to only 20. The new state law, passed on March 9, 2023, said no city in Tennessee was allowed to have a governing body with more than 20 members. It was called the "Metropolitan Government Charter Act," and it specifically targeted Nashville — the only city with a council that size.
Before this law was in place, size of legislative body was reserved for the metropolitan charter commission and ratification by local voters.
Metro filed a complaint on March 13, 2023 — challenging the constitutionality of the act and seeking injunctive relief (restraint of actions). They argued the decision was a violation of the Home Rule Amendment, which makes it so laws involving control of a local government must be passed locally. The court granted Metro's motion temporarily on April 10, 2023, blocking the law from going into effect.
On Monday, the judge declared the bill's amendment unconstitutional and thereby severed from the remainder of the Act. The state has 30 days to appeal the ruling.
Mayor Freddie O'Connell shared a statement on the decision:
“I’m pleased with the court's decision to allow Nashville to have the authority to choose the size of its Metropolitan Council. I’m grateful to Director of Law Wally Dietz and his team for their excellent work throughout this litigation. The Metro Charter gives Nashvillians the right to determine the size of our Metro Council, and as recently as 2015, we decisively concluded we prefer 40 members," he said.
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