Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) has 30 days to appeal the Tuesday decision from a three-judge panel that ruled the legislature violated the state Constitution with its new law governing the Metro Nashville Airport Authority.
Metro Nashville filed the lawsuit after the Tennessee Legislature passed a law changing how the board’s members are selected, with the new law allowing the mayor, governor, and House and Senate speakers to each select two appointees. Tuesday’s ruling invalidated this law and restored the board’s previous members, who were all appointed by Nashville’s mayor and approved by the Metro Nashville Council, effective immediately.
State Representative Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), who originally introduced the legislation, said the court’s decision “is a major setback for transparency and fair representation for [Tennessee] taxpayers” and promised to “continue to fight for the success of our state’s investments.” Garrett thanked Skrmetti for his efforts before saying he looks “forward to an appeal.”
The Court’s decision on the Airport Authority is a major setback for transparency and fair representation for TN taxpayers. We will continue to fight for the success of our state’s investments. I appreciate the hard work of @AGTennessee and I look forward to an appeal. https://t.co/RcKFE4v3cN
— Johnny Garrett (@JohnnyGarrett4) October 31, 2023
Amy Wilhite, the communications director for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, told The Tennessee Star they are “reviewing the decision to determine next steps.”
City officials and one Democratic member of the Tennessee Legislature have celebrated the decision, with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell praising the previous board and saying he looks “forward to the reinstatement of the locally appointed board,” according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) called the ruling “a big win for the city” and “the good old Tennessee Constitution” in a post on Threads, the new social media network started by Meta. He added that it was “[g]ood to see [Tennessee] courts aren’t just looking the other way on legislative overreach.”
The ruling was met with pushback from at least two members of the council who were appointed under the new law. While Metro Nashville maintains the ruling constitutes the “ipso facto resignation” from the board, local business owner Bobby Joslin told The Nashville Business Journal that he does not intend to vacate his position.
“I never resigned,” said Joslin, explaining he “never got a letter from anybody saying, ‘I want you to resign.'” Joslin, a pilot who the outlet reported has been on the board for “about 15 years and once served as its chairman,” added that he remains uncertain of how the legal challenge will end. Still, he maintained that “until they throw me off that board, I’m going to continue to serve this city and this state.”
“It’s imperative that whoever is running the airport that we have strong leadership at the airport, continuing what we’re trying to accomplish,” he told the outlet before promising to “give it everything I’ve got.” Still, Joslin said he was against appealing the decision because of the “distraction” it generated for the board.
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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 “Nashville International Airport” by Nashville International Airport.
