CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – A federal lawsuit by a radio reporter against the state’s chief justice uncovers a third abuse against the public that lets police and jailers “lord it over innocent accused people by putting them in lockup before a judge has had a chance to look at the case,” the reporter says.
David Tulis of 96.9 FM NoogaRadio Network in Chattanooga is suing chief justice Roger Page and four other parties for false imprisonment and false arrest. He demands two injunctions in U.S. district court, one against Page and a second against city of Franklin, whose officer William Orange arrested Tulis Nov. 6, 2021, covering the Tennessee Judicial Conference.
The new public harm cited by Tulis emerges in his latest filing. Tulis, 63, who runs a law blog and airs a daily show about local economy and free markets, demands U.S. Judge Waverly Crenshaw declare the police citation statute at T.C.A. § 40-7-118 unconstitutional because it requires people to be committed to jail and booking prior to adjudication.
