The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) has remained silent during the past week as The Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy was ordered to appear before a judge for a show cause hearing called on the heels of a false allegation by WSMV reporter Stacey Cameron that Leahy violated a court order by publishing journals left behind Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale.
Leahy could face a contempt of court charge, which comes with a possible jail sentence of 10 days.
Leahy was ordered to appear in front of Tennessee Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles for a show cause hearing on Monday to determine whether publishing the information interfered with the Tennessee lawsuit in which Leahy and The Star parent company Star News Digital Media, Inc. are seeking to compel the full release of Hale’s writings, including those that have been called a manifesto, by the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Ultimately, Myles punted on the issue, but the door for hauling Leahy back into court is still open.
“I love the state of Tennessee,” Leahy said Monday after the hearing. “It’s a great state, and my family and I have lived here for 30 years. The people are kind. The people are nice. The governance is just and measured. We started The Tennessee Star so I could exercise my First Amendment rights. I think we have served the public well, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to continue exercising our First Amendment rights.”
The ACLU-TN says it is dedicated to upholding the rights of Tennesseans.
“The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) is dedicated to translating the guarantees of the Bill of Rights into reality for all Tennesseans. We are an enduring guardian of justice, freedom, fairness and equality, working to protect and advance civil liberties and civil rights for all Tennesseans,” according to its website. “Our goal is to preserve the Bill of Rights for future generations.”
The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights covers freedom of the press.
The Star contacted ACLU-TN on Wednesday to ask if the organization would comment on Leahy’s plight, but the group did not respond.
A search of ACLU-TN’s website shows that the group is mostly focused on left-wing LGBT matters.
The group is joined in its silence on the matter by the mainstream press, including Fox News, CNN, The New York Times, NBC News, and Reuters, none of whom have reported on Leahy’s court hearing.
On Wednesday, the national ACLU announced that it will sue the state of Louisiana after Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed into law a bill requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.
The group said it is worried about Christian doctrine being taught in schools.
“Even among those who may believe in some version of the Ten Commandments, the particular text that they adhere to can differ by religious denomination or tradition,” according to ACLU. “The government should not be taking sides in this theological debate, and it certainly should not be coercing students to submit day in and day out to unavoidable promotions of religious doctrine.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on X/Twitter.
Take your illegal gag order and shove it up your anatomy, Judge.
I’ve been following this story and Mr. Leahy is under no gag order so Judge Myles has no authority to hold in contempt of anything. If anyone is to be held in contempt it’s Myles who is trampling on Leahy’s 1A rights.
Leahy was under no moral or legal obligation not to disclose the screed of the mentally-ill and now deceased murderer, Audrey Hale. The public has a near-absolute right to read what she (Hale) wrote since her shooting spree has negatively affected tens of millions of Americans.
Leahy should tell the judge to take a hike. I plan to make a contribution to Leahy’s defense fund very shortly. Suck on that one Ms. Myles.
aclu is a joke…..