The state of Tennessee plans to appeal a three-judge panel's ruling that a new state takeover of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority is unconstitutional.
The Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year passed a law giving state leaders most of the appointments to the board, which oversees Nashville International Airport. Previously, Nashville's mayor has appointed the board members.
Nashville sued over the law, arguing that by singling out Nashville it violated the Tennessee Constitution's prohibition on legislation targeted at one local government.
A new state-appointed panel took over this summer, with the city-appointed board continuing to meet. Then in October, a three-judge panel unanimously ruled the law unconstitutional and reinstated the city-appointed board.
The state had a month to file a notice of appeal, which Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti did Wednesday.
"We look forward to litigating this case to a clear and decisive resolution so airport leadership can focus on serving our community and visitors," says Tim Meads, spokesperson for Skrmetti, in a release. Â
Metro's arguments in the case are similar to those in other cases spawned by the 2023 legislative session, defined in part by the legislature's attacks on the city. Metro won an earlier lawsuit related to legislation at The Fairgrounds Nashville, and the state declined to appeal. Litigation over the size of the Metro Council and the makeup of the Metro Sports Authority, which controls Nissan Stadium and Bridgestone Arena, is ongoing.
The airport board has been in limbo for months, even as Nashville International Airport reaches new passenger heights and manages the continued growth of the facility. Two members of the city-appointed board, Nashville businessmen Jimmy Granbery and Bobby Joslin, were also appointed to the state-controlled body. City leaders determined their acceptance of the state appointments to be effective resignations from the city-controlled board. But the duo showed up for a recent meeting of the city-controlled board, and Mayor Freddie O'Connell said he is "not interested in creating renewed legal action" over the seats.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
