The Tennessee Star on Wednesday settled its lawsuit against the FBI over the manifesto written by Covenant School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a biological woman who identified as a transgender man when she killed six during her attack at the Christian school in Nashville on March 27, 2023.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) announced that its clients, Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Star, and his company, Star News Digital Media, Inc. (SNDM), agreed to settle the lawsuit after more than two years of litigation to secure the release of Hale’s writings.
It was resolved following the decision by the FBI to release 120 pages from the killer’s manifesto to Judicial Watch, which published them earlier this year. The Star previously published the killer’s full 2023 journal, which reportedly contained about 15 percent of her total writings.
Dan Lennington, WILL deputy counsel, called the settlement “a win for government transparency and efforts by real journalists to keep their government open and accountable,” and added that WILL was “proud to advance the freedom of the press.”
Leahy similarly expressed gratitude toward WILL for being willing to push back against the Biden administration through its representation.
“Journalists everywhere should be willing to go to the mat to hold their government accountable, regardless of the story or who is in charge at the nation’s capital,” said Leahy. “We appreciate WILL for taking our case and fighting back against the Biden administration’s reckless and dangerous record retention policies.”
The FBI additionally agreed to pay WILL over $86,000 in legal fees as part of the settlement with Leahy and SNDM.
In a post to the social media platform X, WILL called the settlement “a huge win for government transparency and a strong, free press!”
🚨SETTLEMENT: After a long fight, the @FBI released 120 pages of the Nashville shooter’s manifesto and paid WILL over $86,000 in legal fees. This is a huge win for government transparency and a strong, free press! pic.twitter.com/YPJYC0iyAj
— WILL (@WILawLiberty) June 18, 2025
When The Star obtained the killer’s writings from a source familiar with the investigation last year, it also received a number of investigative police documents, including a May 2023 memo sent by the FBI to Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).
Within that memo, the FBI “strongly” advised MNPD against releasing “legacy tokens,” including documents left by killers which might explain their crimes, arguing such releases would fail to inform the public while inflaming conspiracy theorists.
The resolution of the lawsuit also follows the FBI’s decision to allow U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) to review the killer’s full writings.
“Like many of you, I have long suspected some of this information was shielded from public view because this shooter considered herself to be transgender,” said Rose. “After having read through the evidence, I remain convinced that there is no good justification for keeping most of the evidence from the public square.”
The Star previously invited the FBI to settle the lawsuit after Kash Patel was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as its director. Patel previously argued it was his predecessor, Chris Wray, who blocked the release of documents like the Covenant killer’s writings.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
The legal wizards at the FBI that cost taxpayers the settlement and all the additional expense of supporting this charade should reimburse the public.