Nashville court to limit cases, restrict access – Nashville Post

Leaders of the Davidson County General Sessions Court moved this week to limit the number of cases they hear each day in an effort to make it easier for participants to social distance.

Court administrators also moved this week to prohibit outside observers from watching the sessions, during which dozens of eviction and other cases have been processed in recent days.

Presiding Judge Sam Coleman on Wednesday ordered that each of the two daily sessions of General Sessions court would be limited to 25 cases, starting Oct. 5, a drastic reduction from earlier this week.

On Thursday, the Nashville Bar Association alerted its members that General Sessions judges had decided to limit courtroom attendance to participants in the proceedings, preventing housing advocates and others from attending the sessions, which are not livestreamed. At least one housing advocate was prevented from observing the proceedings on Tuesday, before the new order was issued. Tennessee Supreme Court rules for state courts generally allow for media coverage of court proceedings but give judges some latitude to require advance notice.

A General Sessions representative said Thursday that media members could submit requests in advance to observe court but that the judge would have discretion to limit the number of people in the room, including media or other nonparticipants.

In July, the Tennessee Supreme Court said, “At no time has the Court countenanced or approved an outright ban on public access to the courts.”

Earlier Wednesday, the Post reported that dozens of defendants and other participants in eviction proceedings were crowded into the courthouse Tuesday, despite a Centers for Disease Control moratorium on many residential evictions for nonpayment of rent.