State takes control of airport board after court ruling

The Tennessee Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Metro Nashville on Monday, ending the local government's legal challenge to state control over the Metro Nashville Airport Authority.

The case traces back to 2023 when the General Assembly passed a law stripping the mayor of the power to appoint all seven board members. Under that law, the board expanded to eight members. The mayor, the speaker of the House, the speaker of the Senate, and the governor each gained the right to appoint two members.

Metro sued after the state installed a new board earlier this year. Mayor Freddie O'Connell refused to appoint representatives to the state-controlled group. He and Metro continued to recognize the old board, which met in parallel with the new one. Metro argued the state targeted its airport authority specifically.

The trial court and the Court of Appeals largely sided with Metro. At oral arguments in February, the five justices appeared unreceptive to the state's position. However, the high court ruled that new legislation had addressed Metro's claims.

Senate Bill 2473, passed in April, amended the original law. The bill applied the changes to all regional and metropolitan airport authorities in the state. This broader application allowed the state to bypass Home Rule provisions in the state constitution that protected local governments from targeted legislative action. The bill also vacated the current boards of commissioners for each airport authority.

Metro argued in briefings that the General Assembly changed the law after three years of litigation. The local government also claimed the state intended to target Metro through multiple, layered criteria. The Supreme Court wrote it was not persuaded by these arguments. The court vacated the Court of Appeals' judgment and remanded the case to Davidson County Chancery Court. The court instructed the chancery court to enter an order dismissing the case as moot.

Metro also sued the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2026. The local government alleged the agency failed to act in response to the takeover. In July, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a preliminary injunction. The court stated that Metro's alleged harm is better addressed in the pending district-court litigation between the local government and Tennessee.