Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles set a court date last Friday for this week, during which she will hear motions regarding the possible release of a list of documents written by Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, and may set a future date to decide whether she will release Hale’s manifesto to the public.
Myles will hear two motions this Friday, reported WSMV on Saturday, including a motion regarding the release of “a list detailing the documents” written by Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender male before she fatally shot three six-year-olds and three staff members at the Covenant School in March 2023, which were “turned over to the judge for her private viewing” last year.
The second motion Myles will consider requests she set a date for a hearing to determine if the manifesto written by Hale and other records should be released to the public.
Star News Digital Media, the parent company of The Tennessee Star, is a plaintiff in the multi-party lawsuit seeking to compel Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to release Hale’s manifesto, but Metro Law Director Wally Dietz has maintained the manifesto was sealed by a court order when the lawsuit was launched.
Nicholas Barry, a senior attorney for America First Legal, which represents The Star in the lawsuit, clarified in November, “The Court has not ordered that these records remain sealed until the Court decides whether they should be released. The decision to release records is Metro’s decision, and it is Metro’s burden to prove that there is a valid justification for their nondisclosure.” Barry added, “At a minimum, those records should be released immediately.”
Later in November, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in Nashville that a group of parents may intervene in the lawsuit, upholding an earlier decision by Myles.
Other than The Star, Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include The Tennessean, The Tennessee Firearms Association, former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond, a private investigator associated with the National Police Association, and Tennessee State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga).
The Star is also a plaintiff in the separate lawsuit seeking to compel the FBI to release Hale’s manifesto.
Following the publication of three leaked pages from Hale’s manifesto by conservative comedian and pundit Steven Crowder last year, The Star filed a motion seeking to compel limited discovery to force the FBI to declare whether the manifesto released by Crowder was written by Hale.
Though the pages from Hale’s manifesto were authenticated by The Star, MNPD and a collection of media outlets, the FBI refused to acknowledge its authenticity after previously arguing the release of even one page from Hale’s manifesto could damage ongoing investigations.
Earlier in January, a bill was filed by State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) which would allow any member of the Tennessee General Assembly to compel the release of Hale’s manifesto.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News, and also reports for The Tennessee Star and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles” by Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea L. Myles. Photo “Covenant Presbyterian School” by MNPD and “Manifesto Page” is by Steven Crowder.
