Court blocks law giving state power to appoint members to Nashville's sports authority

In the latest development for control of Music City, a three-judge panel has sided with Metro Nashville, blocking a state law that would have replaced nearly half of the members of the local sports authority with state-appointed members.

The judges issued the temporary injunction Friday morning — three weeks after state and Metro attorneys presented arguments.

The decision marks the fourth time this year that courts have sided with Metro Nashville in its legal fights with the state.

"Today's unanimous ruling to enjoin the Sports Authority Takeover Act is a clear victory that protects the constitutional rights of all local governments against overreach by the State," Metro Director of Law Wally Dietz said Friday morning in a statement. "Four different three-judge panels — with judges from across Tennessee — have all ruled unanimously that the legislature violated the Tennessee Constitution four different times when it passed legislation that targeted only Metropolitan Nashville."

Dietz said that Metro does not "enjoy suing the State" but that the city remains "ready to protect the rights of Metropolitan Nashville and the people who live here in the hope that 2024 results in an improved relationship between the State and Metro Nashville."

Mayor Freddie O'Connell said Dietz has a "track record of general success" in defending Metro in these constitutional cases, and it's one of the reasons O'Connell's administration asked Dietz to remain head of Metro Legal following former Mayor John Cooper's term.