Nashville’s Metro Council voted to reject a sign for Morgan Wallen’s new downtown bar, raising questions about the council’s compliance with the First Amendment.
Wallen, a country music star, is set to open This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen in Nashville over Memorial Day weekend. However, the bar’s main sign, which was planned to hang over the public walkway outside the building, will not be installed because of a 30-3 Metro Council vote.
The resolution to allow Wallen’s sign passed through the council’s Planning and Zoning Committee and its Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with no opposing votes. The sign displays the words “Morgan Wallen’s This Bar” in neon lights.
“I don’t want to see a billboard with the name of a person who’s throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs and using the N-word,” Council Member at Large Delishia Porterfield said during a discussion before the resolution to allow Wallen’s sign came to a vote.
Wallen apologized after being arrested on felony charges for allegedly tossing a chair off of the roof of a Nashville bar, just missing Metro Nashville Police officers, WKRN reported.
He also apologized for his words after a recording of him using the N-word went viral online in 2021.
While voicing her reasons for voting against the sign, District 24 Council Member Brenda Gadd falsely claimed that Wallen had not fulfilled a pledge to donate $500,000 to the NAACP. USA Today verified Wallen made good on his promise.
All of the council members who stated their reasons for voting against the sign cited Wallen’s words and behavior and did not object to the sign’s structural soundness or any other element. No First Amendment concerns were raised during the council’s discussion before voting on the resolution.
Council members previously debated approving a sign outside of Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honkey Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse due to an illustration on the sign, The Tennessean reported. However, the resolution for that sign ultimately passed after the Metro Council attorney warned that rejecting the sign might lead to a First Amendment lawsuit.
The Tennessee Star emailed the Metro Law Department to inquire about how the situation surrounding Wallen’s sign compares to Kid Rock’s, what legal counsel was given to the Metro Council before the vote, and whether the Metro Law Department is concerned about a potential First Amendment challenge because of the council’s vote. The Star did not receive a response by press time.
The three council members who voted to permit Wallen’s sign comprised Jeff Eslick (District 11), Jennifer Webb (District 10), and Jacob Kupin (District 19). Four abstained, including District 26 Council Member Courtney Johnston, who will run as a Republican against Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) for his 5th Congressional District seat.
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Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X/Twitter.
