New ruling revives effort to cut Nashville's Metro Council in half
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Nashville's 40-person Metro Council is back on the chopping block after a Tennessee appeals court revived the Republican-led effort to cut half of its members.
Why it matters: A 2-1 decision released Tuesday by the Court of Appeals reverses a lower court ruling and hands the state a significant victory in its multi-pronged legal fight with Metro.
- If the appeals ruling stands, the council would be reduced to 20 members following an upcoming Metro election.
Catch up quick: Republican lawmakers approved a law to shrink the council in 2023 amid a pitched battle between state and its capital city.
- The law sought to shrink the size of the council after the August 2023 election.
- Courts initially delayed the law and then ruled that it violated the Tennessee Constitution because it was an attempt to single out Nashville.
The latest: The divided appeals court disagreed, saying the law was constitutionally sound because it could apply in Nashville and to future metropolitan councils.
- "There is simply 'nothing in the language of the Constitution to prevent' the Tennessee General Assembly from imposing its own limit on the voting membership of a metropolitan council," the ruling states.
Zoom in: One member of the appeals panel — Judge Kenny Armstrong — broke with the majority.
- "[T]he majority, like the General Assembly, usurps the plain language" of the Constitution, Armstrong wrote in his dissent. "This is unconstitutional."
What's next: Nashville could seek further review from the solidly conservative Tennessee Supreme Court.
- "We are understandably disappointed and concerned about this ruling's implications for local sovereignty," Metro associate law director Allison L. Bussell said in a statement.
- "But we are also encouraged by Judge Armstrong's compelling dissent. We are digesting the ruling and evaluating our options."
What they're saying: House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) cheered the appeals court ruling, saying it "reins in excessive government growth."
Vice Mayor Angie Henderson rejected Republicans' arguments that the 2023 law was driven by efficiency.
- "For the last 60 years, this 40-member Council has capably and effectively served the interests of our constituents, who today number some 715,000," she said in a statement.
- She said the latest court ruling "failed to respect the will of our voters."
Between the lines: Republicans' push to shrink the Metro Council was largely seen as legislative revenge against the council, which had blocked the Republican National Convention from taking place in Nashville.
- Several other Republican bills advanced at the time targeted Nashville.
Nashville voters backed a bigger council
There is no doubt the Metro Council is uncommonly large: It's the largest city council in the state and the third-largest in the country behind New York and Chicago.
- But Nashville voters have resisted efforts to trim the council's roster.
Flashback: Residents initially approved the 40-member council when they voted in 1962 to consolidate the city and county governments.
- Voters strongly rejected a 2015 effort to reduce the council to 27 members.