Members of the Tennessee General Assembly took to X Friday to defend Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy, who was ordered to appear before Tennessee Chancery Court Judge l’Ashea Myles for a show cause hearing on Monday.
Myles issued the order after The Star published dozens of articles reporting on writings from a journal recovered from Covenant School mass shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale.
Leahy, who is also the CEO of Star News Digital Media, Inc. (SNDM), the parent organization of The Star, faces the court hearing amid a Tennessee lawsuit in which Leahy and SNDM 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.
A show cause trial is a demand from a court for a party of a lawsuit to prove that they have not disobeyed any court orders.
Leahy faces possible contempt charges should Myles declare that he has disobeyed court orders by publishing the journal’s contents.
Members of the Tennessee General Assembly stepped in Friday to defend Leahy in the court of public opinion.
“The TN legislature will not stand for an activist judge who weaponizes their courtroom. [Leahy] is the press and does not have to prove to any courtroom that he is innocent. I will file the proper resolutions to remove judges engaging in abuse like this,” said State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby).
The TN legislature will not stand for an activist judge who weaponizes their courtroom. @michaelpleahy is the press and does not have to prove to any courtroom that he is innocent.
I will file the proper resolutions to remove judges engaging in abuse like this.…
— Jeremy Faison (@JeremyFaison4TN) June 14, 2024
Faison (pictured above, right) linked to a page on the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government’s website. That group has been chronicling the legal proceedings initiated against Leahy.
“I’m in!” replied State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville).
I’m in. https://t.co/Kd21WkC9Jq
— Rep. Jason Zachary (@JasonZacharyTN) June 14, 2024
“Chancellor Myles, it’s called the 1st Amendment. The [The Tennessee Star] [and] [Leahy] don’t owe you any further explanation,” Zachary (pictured above, left) said in a later post.
Chancellor Myles, it’s called the 1st Amendment.
The @TheTNStar @michaelpleahy don’t owe you any further explanation. pic.twitter.com/b8Yde2uqxL— Rep. Jason Zachary (@JasonZacharyTN) June 14, 2024
“Every official ultimately answers to the people and to the Constitution. Judges should remember that,” State Representative Mark Cochran (R-Englewood).
Every official ultimately answers to the people and to the Constitution. Judges should remember that. https://t.co/XTzkHwlAqf
— Mark Cochran (@repmarkcochran) June 14, 2024
Leahy filed an emergency motion to halt the show cause hearing.
“The Show Cause Order does not specify or otherwise identify ‘the Orders of this Court’ that it implies may have been violated,” the filing says.
“The Show Cause Order does make clear, however, that it is concerned with the acts – specifically, ‘the publication of certain purported documents and information’ – that transpired outside the presence of the Court,” it says later.
Tennessee Code 24-1-208(a) is referenced specifically in the filing. It says:
A person engaged in gathering information for publication or broadcast connected with or employed by the news media or press, or who is independently engaged in gathering information for publication or broadcast, shall not be required by a court, a grand jury, the general assembly, or any administrative body, to disclose before the general assembly
or any Tennessee court, grand jury, agency, department, or commission any information or the source of any information procured for publication or broadcast.
“Such forbidden disclosure appears to be exactly what is contemplated by this Court’s Show Cause Order,” the filing says, adding later that Leahy “cannot lawfully be compelled to participate in a show cause hearing” that requires him to disclose such information.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on X/Twitter.
Photo “Jason Zachary” by Jason Zachary. Photo “Jeremy Faison” by Jeremy Faison.
“As for the safety of society, we commit honest maniacs to Bedlam; so judges should be withdrawn from their bench whose erroneous biases are leading us to dissolution. It may, indeed, injure them in fame or in fortune; but it saves the republic, which is the first and supreme law.” –Thomas Jefferson:
The judge in this case made the leaks happen by their refusal to publish information.
But It is crap hole Nashville!
” remove judges engaging in abuse like this ” Rock on reps
All across our great state, remove them, clerks, secretaries, all of it & defund their court. Tennesseans have had enough of anti constitutional ” judges” like l’Ashea Myles