Judges Order Arrest of Journalists To Keep TN Judicial Meetings Secret

Photo: David Tulis Photo Credit: The David Tulis Show

Adapted from an article by David Tulis / NoogaRadio 96.9 FM –

Investigative reporter David Tulis of 96.9 FM was cuffed and dragged from a conference room table to a gurney and shoved into an ambulance, where he was charged with criminal trespass for insisting on the right to cover a secretive Tennessee judicial conference.

Tulis’ midstate bureau chief, Christopher Sapp, was also arrested — but was not cuffed.

Sapp stated that he demanded Franklin city police officers cuff and arrest him, to give him proof of judicial abuse, but they refused.

Saturday’s events capped a three-day policymaking and educational event for city court judges statewide. All judges in Tennessee are members of the conference, and have been required to attend the events since its creation by The Tennessee General Assembly in 1953.  

Event organizers refused to start a second of three sessions on “sovereign citizens” until the reporters were removed from the premises. 

Upon being asked to leave, Tulis said, “I’m not trespassing. I’m here as a member of the press.  This is a public function, paid for by taxpayers. I have a right to be here. I’m not leaving.” 

Tulis refused to stand up when ordered to do so by an officer and the officer responded by clasping cuffs around his wrists.

Tulis warned officers that he suffered from a hernia, and they opted not to drag him, instead calling EMTs to rope him onto a gurney and place him into an ambulance. 

Inside the ambulance, Tulis signed a citation, and was then freed from police custody on condition he quit hotel premises.

Arrest Video HERE.

Following their removal from the event, the reporters issued administrative filings to chief justice Roger Page, who personally oversees the AOC — the administrative office of the courts. 

Tulis filed an 8-page analysis, and Sapp filed a 9-page demand under the open meetings act that he “not be met with resistance or official oppression under color of law” in joining the meeting, a filing with 33 footnotes. 

They were backstopped by legal reformer John Gentry, who made arrangements with U.S. district court clerk, Lynda Motes Hill, to file a petition for an emergency Saturday hearing for a writ of habeas corpus. The emergency remedy brings a jailed person instantly before a judge to determine what cause is behind his jailing. 

“Those expense reports out there” in the lobby, Mr. Gentry said, “clearly evidence that the taxpayer is paying for secret proceedings of our judiciary to go in there and mock the people with ‘sovereign citizen bingo.’ I am appalled — I am offended — as a citizen of this state.”

“We came to the municipal judicial conference to monitor what was going on,” Sapp said, “which is our constitutional right under article 1 section 19 of the Tennessee constitution — gives us freedom of the press. We have the right to attend this, but we were denied that right by the Tennessee judiciary. They would not continue with the conference as long as we were in there. As a matter of fact, they had the Embassy Suites hotel staff actually ‘trespass’ us in circumvention of the open meetings act, which is completely an abomination to state law.”

Sapp continued, “The judiciary is thumbing its nose at the state legislature and the will of the people to conduct their conclaves in secret — and that’s exactly what’s going on. Make no bones about it. This will be something that needs to be litigated.” 

The reporters say the judicial conference is statutorily created, funded by taxpayers and litigation taxes, is compulsory for all judges, organized by the court system, is the court system in practice, touches the operation of law and justice, influences or controls public policy, and meddles in creation of legislation and lobbying.

State law says “the formation of public policy and decisions is public business and shall not be conducted in secret” T.C.A. § 8-44-101. 

State law also says “The conference shall meet annually for the consideration of any and all matters pertaining to the discharge of the official duties and obligations of its several members, to the end that there shall be a more prompt and efficient administration of justice in the courts of this state” T.C.A. § 17-3-104.

Read the original article HERE.