Judges Issue Temporary Decision Allowing Nashville to Keep its Current City-County Government System

The city of Nashville, Tennessee has been operating under a combined city-county government system with 40 council members since 1963. This system was established as a way to consolidate the city and surrounding county, while also ensuring that Black leaders maintained strong representation. On Monday, three state court trial judges issued a temporary decision that will allow the city to keep all 40 of its seats for the time being.

The new statute at issue would require Nashville to craft new council districts by May 1, a deadline that city officials say is unreasonable. The judges agreed and issued the temporary decision to allow the city to keep its current system until further notice.

The city of Nashville has been operating under the combined city-county government system since 1963, and it has been a successful system for the city. Advocates have worked hard to ensure that Black leaders have maintained strong representation in the city, and the current system has allowed for that.

The temporary decision issued by the three state court trial judges will allow the city to keep its current system for the time being. City officials have argued that the May 1 deadline to craft new council districts is unreasonable, and the judges have agreed. It is unclear at this time what the next steps will be for the city, but the current system will remain in place for now.