Tennessee Court Advisory Commission to Hold Open Meeting due to Injunction

The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Rules of Practice and Procedure will hold a Dec. 5 meeting in Nashville that the group plans to live stream after The Center Square received an injunction earlier this year to open the meetings to the public.

The Center Square Vice President of News and Content Dan McCaleb received a May injunction from a U.S. District Court judge against the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts to open the meetings.

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New Tennessee Law Ruled Unconstitutional, Says Beacon Center Official

  A federal judge has halted enforcement of a new state law that state legislators passed earlier this year that forces online auctioneers to get a state license. This, according to Braden Boucek, vice president of legal affairs for the Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee. Beacon is a free-market think tank. Boucek argued against the law in federal court. “We are confident that the law was unconstitutional and today’s ruling reinforced our conclusions. Tennesseans believe in freedom and shared economic opportunity. This law was a step in the wrong direction,” Boucek said. “The judge was correct to find it unconstitutional. As a state, we should be looking for ways to lower the barriers to employment, especially in rural counties. Instead, we passed a law that eradicated hundreds of good paying Tennessee jobs at the stroke of a pen.” In emailed statements to The Star, Aaron McKee from Purple Wave Auction said he was “really relieved that we are able to continue to conduct auctions without having to worry about breaking the law in Tennessee.” “I’m thankful that we live in a country with a Constitution that protects us in situations like this. It is difficult enough to do good business…

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Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order Against New Tennessee Law Requiring Licenses for Online Auctioneers

  A U.S. District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing Tennessee officials from enforcing a new state law that forces online auctioneers to get a state license. U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson (pictured above) of the Middle District of Tennessee issued his ruling late last week. The temporary restraining order expires July 11 at noon. An injunction hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 10 at 9 a.m., according to a copy of Richardson’s injunction. “Considering the lack of evidence on the current record that extended-time online auctions are harming Tennessee consumers, the Court finds that the balance of relative harms among the parties weighs in favor of Plaintiffs and against Defendants at this time,” Richardson wrote. “Finally, the Court finds that the public interest will not be harmed by injunctive relief pending a preliminary injunction hearing, that will be set in short order.” Will McLemore, one of the plaintiffs in the case, told The Tennessee Star Monday he runs an online auction company out of Nashville. “This law would have caused me to have to alter my business model and affect auction managers that work with me and my firm,” McLemore said. “One of…

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