A federal judge on Friday ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to turn over all documents related to Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale, including the killer’s manifesto, for a private review of materials.
The FBI was ordered to turn over the materials as part of the nationally watched lawsuit brought by plaintiffs Star News Digital Media Inc., the parent company of The Tennessee Star, and Michael Patrick Leahy, a resident of Tennessee and CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Star News Digital Media and journalist Matt Kittle. The plaintiffs are seeking the release of Hale’s manifesto.
U.S. District Court Judge Aleta A. Trauger cited in her order a “significant public interest” in the case and determined there is not enough information to justify siding with the FBI.
Trauger wrote in her three-page order, “The court also finds that the significant public interest in both the requested materials and the law enforcement objectives asserted by the FBI support in camera review and that no showing has been made that the requested materials will be so voluminous that they would pose a significant danger to judicial economy.”
Additionally, the judge denied the FBI’s request for summary judgment and wrote the agency’s “assertions cannot be evaluated adequately based on the available materials and that, although the FBI’s position may ultimately be well-founded, it has not supported that position with sufficient clarity or detail” for Trauger to make a final judgment in the case.
Attorney Daniel Lennington of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), who represents Star News in the lawsuit, called Trauger’s order a “promising development” in a statement.
“This is a very promising development,” said Lennington. “Someone is finally holding the FBI accountable for its handling of the manifesto. The people have a right to know what motivated the Nashville Shooter, and we are step closer to finding out more information.”
Michael Patrick Leahy, who is the editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, celebrated the order as a victory for Tennesseans seeking to understand what motivated Hale, a biological woman who identified as a transgender male, to launch her horrific attack on the Covenant School.
“The court’s order today is a significant victory for the public’s right to know about the motives of Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who murdered six innocent Nashvillians at the Covenant School on March 27, 2023,” said Leahy.
He explained, “The court completely rejected the FBI’s attempt to prevent Star News Digital Media from obtaining the documents collected by law enforcement that might explain the motives of Hale, noting that it had not supported its position ‘with sufficient clarity or detail to permit the court to recognize the asserted exemptions at this time.’
“I believe the court’s order for an in camera review of all the relevant documents is the right course of action, and I am confident that subsequent to that review the court will order the release of all these documents, because it is in the public interest to do so,” Leahy stated.
Attorneys for Star News Digital Media Inc. previously filed a motion asking the judge to compel the FBI to engage in limited discovery following the publication of leaked pages from Hale’s manifesto by conservative pundit and comedian Steven Crowder.
Despite the materials released by Crowder containing no identifying information about individuals associated with Hale, the FBI has maintained that releasing even one page from the manifesto could jeopardize ongoing investigations.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
