Federal Judge Orders FBI to Release Covenant Shooter’s Writings Amid Lawsuit
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Just a week shy of the first anniversary of the horrific shooting tragedy at Covenant School, the fight continues as efforts are made to publicize the shooter’s writings. In an unexpected turn of events, an online publication achieved a victory when a federal judge ordered the FBI to remit the shooter’s writings to the court.
A Legal Battle Unfolds
According to reports, the judge will perform a review of these writings and subsequently decide on whether or not they should be made public. This case’s roots tracked back to May of last year when The Tennessee Star, along with multiple other groups, initiated a lawsuit against the Metro Nashville government. Their aim was to secure the release of the shooter’s scripts, a request that is currently stuck in court.
Unyielding in their quest, The Tennessee Star decided to escalate matters, filing a federal lawsuit against the FBI. As per Michael Leheay, a representative of The Tennessee Star, “The documents belong to the public record and should accordingly be released. The Metro government has failed to conform to our polite requests for their release. Consequently, the documents were handed over to the FBI. We made a civil request to the Bureau in compliance with the law. When government agencies fail to obey the law, we are left with the option of seeking redress through the courts.”
Importance of Revealing Shooter’s Writings
Leheay emphasized that the disclosure of these writings could potentially offer valuable insights to lawmakers and the public that might help prevent future tragedies of this kind.
He asserted, “Initially, I believed that we had a higher chance of procuring the documents via state proceedings. However, several parties who are against the disclosure of these documents have evoked legal measures to prevent it, which I believe opposes the public interest.” He added that he is confident that, following her review, the federal judge will concur with the fact that it is in the public’s interest to have all such documents published.
Understanding the Legal Procedure
When asked about the legal procedure, Scott Augenbaum, a former FBI agent, stated, “Remember, the manifesto is evidence and is the property of the collecting agency, Metro Nashville. They submitted it to the FBI, which would then add its findings and return it.”
It has been noted that over the past year, parents of Covenant School students have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the public release of the manifesto, articulating their concerns during protests and state House hearings.
