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A Tennessee judge has ruled against releasing the journals written by the shooter who killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville in March of last year.

Parents of the victims asked the judge not to release the killer’s manifesto. 

Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles made the ruling on July 4, declaring that The Covenant School children and parents hold the copyright to any writings or other works created by shooter Audrey Hale, a former student and transgender who was killed by police. Hale’s parents inherited the works and then transferred ownership to the families. 

Myles said “the original writings, journals, art, photos and videos created by Hale” are subject to an exception to the Tennessee Public Records Act created by the federal Copyright Act. 

The ruling comes more than a year after several groups filed public records requests for documents seized by Metro Nashville Police during their investigation into the March 2023 shooting, wanting to expose the motivation behind the attack.

The group of Covenant parents opposed to the writings being released were allowed to intervene in the case and argued that the records should never become public. They said the release would be traumatic for the families and could inspire copycat attacks. 

As part of the effort to keep the records closed, Hale’s parents transferred ownership of Hale’s property to the parents’ group. Attorneys for the parents then argued they owned the copyright, further reason the records could not be released. 

Brent Leatherwood, an attorney for families of the victims, and father of students who attend Covenant, shared reaction to the judge’s ruling Friday morning. 

Here Are Their Responses:

The Family of Hallie Scruggs – “Far too often in our time, cruelty prevails over kindness; evil prevails over justice. Today was not one of those days. Instead, our hope is that the pain and suffering we have endured over the last year won’t continue forward to terrorize other families and other communities. Though we still grieve, we are thankful for this result.”

The Family of Mike Hill – “Our dad found such joy each day at school with those children. He loved serving them and he was always there to protect them. While we still feel the pain of his loss in our lives, this decision helps continue his legacy as our family, Covenant children, and other communities will be more protected because these ramblings will not be able to inspire future attacks from other individuals who are consumed by hate and perceived grievances.”

The Family of Cindy Peak – “The last year and a half without Cindy has been difficult. But today brings a measure of relief in our family. Denying the shooter some of the notoriety she sought by releasing her vile and unfiltered thoughts on the world is a result everyone should be thankful for. I only wish that others, whether seeking clicks or profit, had felt that way before revealing the depth of depravity that existed in the mind of a mass murderer on March 27.”

Dr. Erin Kinney, Mother of Will Kinney – “This opinion is an important first step to making sure the killer can’t hurt our babies anymore. The importance is even more clear due to the leaking of stolen police documents, which has violated our parental right to protect our traumatized and grieving children from material that could destroy their lives. We are more resolved than ever to fight to keep our children and everyone’s children safe from this murderer.”

The Family of Katherine Koonce – “The Court’s finding vindicates our family’s desire that public focus should be on the nobility of the loved ones who died tragically, and on the gracious support extended to households who suffered loss and trauma.”

The Family of Evelyn Dieckhaus – “No result will lessen the pain we carry each day. But this decision will ensure no additional burden is added to our family, and that has been a major objective for us. No one should have to live through the nightmare of losing a child to such senseless acts, and our hope is that by keeping the rest of this material from seeing the light of day, it will ensure no other family has to walk this path.”

Most G7 countries will be holding elections over the coming year and a half, and the results could affect investors, experts say.

Many recent polls and the results from the Labour Party’s Thursday landslide victory in the United Kingdom suggest voters appear to want new governments.

A former U.S. Treasury official said some of would-be governments, if they are elected and enact their campaign promises, could bring “a new, very large boost in global inflation” and impact investors and Canadians.

“I think most people would not feel particularly good about that environment which political forces might bring about,” said Gary Hufbauer, from the Peterson Institute of International Economics.

Hufbauer warned the biggest disruption could come from Donald Trump getting re-elected.

Trump has promised to impose 10-per cent tariffs on all imports to the United States along with a 60-per cent tax on Chinese goods. Tariffs cause prices to rise as exporters pass the cost onto consumers.

“It would be a curious thing because it would cause inflation in the U.S. but maybe a world recession,” he told Global News.

2:05
France election 2024: Can opposition parties stop far-right National Rally from forming government?

The second-largest source of potential economic disruption could be if French voters give a parliamentary majority to the National Rally.

The far-right party, led by Marine Le Pen, promised to cut taxes while continuing to spend.

“We always remember the Greek (debt) problems and the Italian (debt) problems,” he said, speaking from Taos, N.M.

“You could have French problems, which would be pretty unsettling for the euro.”

He said he would be very surprised if Trump doesn’t win November’s U.S. presidential election.

His advice for the average family is to “batten down the hatches” and start saving now.

3:38
New data shows inflation surge & bank of mom and dad grows generous

Hufbauer and CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld both said they can’t remember a time when so many leading economies could get new leaders — but Shenfeld was optimistic.

He said Canada fought to get inflation down, which “should pave the way for more interest rate cuts and a better economy next year, pretty much regardless of what the political outcome is.”

A federal election must be held no later than October 2025 under Canada’s fixed election laws.

He said the success of the Labour Party in the U.K., which replaced a government nearly 10 years in power, and the continued lead of Canada’s Conservative Party in the polls shows economic choices are not as extreme as in some countries seeing authoritarian rises.

Any potential instability from France could come from the National Rally’s strong anti-immigration rhetoric spreading, though he noted he “didn’t see that happening.”

7:13
U.K. election: Keir Starmer pledges ‘reset’ after victory, Rishi Sunak apologizes to country

As for the U.S., “what we’re hoping is that Trump will be reminded that the current trade agreement that the U.S. has with Canada and Mexico was a Donald Trump achievement,” he said, referencing the USMCA free trade agreement (while noting it is up for renewal).

“We’re hoping that (the success and agreement) continues to provide Canada with some protection from a more tariff-friendly government in the U.S.,” he said, speaking from Toronto.

And while he did say Canadians need to watch politicians’ promises, he also said they should track whether politicians actually implement them.

— with files from The Associated Press and Reuters

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Matt Burton has sent Michael Maguire a timely reminder of his brilliance on the big stage, kicking a field goal in extra time to ice Canterbury’s 13-12 defeat of the wounded Warriors.

On the same day Latrell Mitchell went down with a foot injury that is likely to rule him out of Blues’ contention for the State of Origin decider, Burton flexed his muscles by sealing a second golden-point win in as many Bulldogs games.

The would-be NSW centre made good on his fourth attempt at a one-pointer, piloting the ball over from 24 metres out in the 87th minute of Saturday’s game at Accor Stadium.

Having lost captain Tohu Harris (wrist) 24 hours out, the Warriors’ entire back three of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Marcelo Montoya all went down injured on Saturday.

With only one fit player left on the bench, veteran second-rower Kurt Capewell spent part of his 150th NRL game on the left wing, while Leka Halasima played out of position at right centre on debut.

Even then, the Warriors twice came within inches of snatching the game – Chanel Harris-Tavita’s two attempts at a field goal were waved to the left of the posts as the gutsiest of wins slipped away.

Burton, who sank Cronulla with a one-pointer a week ago, missed his first three attempts, the first ricocheting off the post, the second pulling up short and the third charged down by Jackson Ford.

But at the death, the 24-year-old came up clutch again to keep his side undefeated through eight games at home this season.

The resurgent Bulldogs are closing in on the NRL’s top four, set to finish the weekend in fifth place on the ladder.

Burton had already pushed his case for an Origin recall when he picked off Te Maire Martin’s pass and dashed 60 metres to set up Bronson Xerri for the game’s first try after 19 minutes.

But the Warriors controlled the rest of the first half, with Watene-Zelezniak and Montoya helping their side to a 12-6 lead at the break.

Nicoll-Klokstad (calf) left the field shortly after making a try-saving tackle on Josh Curran late in the first half, having copped a knock in the opening 15 minutes but played on.

Watene-Zelezniak followed him to the sideline just after halftime when he failed a head injury assessment, before Montoya exited in the final 15 minutes.

The personnel crisis left the Warriors to tire, with Viliame Kikau helping the Bulldogs level the scores by beating Adam Pompey to Toby Sexton’s cross-field kick in the 54th minute.

But it was Sexton’s halves partner Burton who came up with the most important kick of all.

The Bulldogs lost second-rower Jaeman Salmon to an apparent facial injury in the final 10 minutes of regulation time.

By Samia Nakhoul and Muhammad Al Gebaly

DUBAI/CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas has accepted a U.S. proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men, 16 days after the first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war, a senior Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday.

The militant Islamist group has dropped a demand that Israel first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement, and would allow negotiations to achieve that throughout the six-week first phase, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the talks are private.

A Palestinian official close to the internationally mediated peace efforts had said the proposal could lead to a framework agreement if embraced by Israel and would end the nine-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

A source in Israel’s negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was now a real chance of achieving agreement. That was in sharp contrast to past instances in the nine-month-old war in Gaza, when Israel said conditions attached by Hamas were unacceptable.

A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. On Friday his office said talks would continue next week and emphasised that gaps between the sides still remained.

The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, since Hamas attacked southern Israeli cities on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages, according to official Israeli figures.

The new proposal ensures that mediators would guarantee a temporary ceasefire, aid delivery and the withdrawal of Israeli troops as long as indirect talks continue to implement the second phase of the agreement, the Hamas source said.

Efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza have intensified over the past few days with active shuttle diplomacy among Washington, Israel and Qatar, which is leading mediation efforts from Doha, where the exiled Hamas leadership is based.

A regional source said the U.S. administration was trying hard to secure a deal before the presidential election in November.

Netanyahu said on Friday that the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had returned from an initial meeting with mediators in Qatar and that negotiations would continue next week.

(Reporting and writing by Samia Nakhoul and Muhammad Al Gebaly; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and William Mallard)

Human rights lawyer-turned-politician

Pro-business, pro-reforms, pro-EU

Public image problem?

Fundamental changes unlikely?