U.S. Supreme Court denies The Center Square’s open meetings case

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by The Center Square challenging laws that prevent the public from accessing certain government proceedings.

The case, McCaleb v. Long, challenged the Tennessee Judicial Advisory Commission’s decision in 2018 to close its meetings to the public after a specific disruption. The meetings were open to the public for 35 years before its closure, according to court documents.

The Liberty Justice Center, a nonprofit law firm, filed the case on behalf of Dan McCaleb, chief content officer at The Center Square. The Tennessee Judicial Advisory Commission meets quarterly, and makes recommendations to the Tennessee Supreme Court on court rules of practice and procedure.

“When government officials choose to block members of the press and public from accessing court rule-making meetings – where decisions affecting citizens are made in secret – they undermine government transparency and the public trust,” the Liberty Justi...