Bill could move state cases out of Nashville

A bill making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly could move original jurisdiction for lawsuits challenging state law out of the state capital of Nashville.

The bill — sponsored by Republican Rep. Johnny Garrett and Republican Sen. Mike Bell — passed in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on Tuesday. The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet taken it up.

Instead of being forced to file in Davidson County courts, plaintiffs would be able to file challenges of state law in their home county. Under the proposed legislation, plaintiffs who are not residents of Tennessee would file their challenges in Sumner County, which Garrett represents, instead of Davidson County.

In committee, Garrett, who works as an attorney at Nashville firm Bone McAllester Norton, positioned the bill as a matter of convenience for plaintiffs. Asked by Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville), also a Nashville-based attorney, why he picked Sumner County for nonresident plaintiffs, Garrett said, “The better question is why not.”

Read more: https://www.nashvillepost.com/politics/state-government/article/21146586/bill-could-move-state-cases-out-of-nashville