In re: Unknown
Case Number: Unknown
Court: Meigs County Juvenile Court for the Ninth Judicial District at Decatur
Client: WBIR-TV
Background: In June 2025, a 15-year-old girl was charged with first-degree murder after she allegedly fatally shot a man in Meigs County, Tennessee. The Meigs County Juvenile Court held a detention hearing that was closed to the public and press, at which authorities said the court appointed a lawyer to represent the teen, waived the detention hearing, and reset the case for August, WBIR reported.
The rules that govern the operation of Tennessee Juvenile Court state that juvenile delinquency proceedings are presumptively “open to the public.” To close a proceeding, the court needs to balance the interests of the parties and “the public’s compelling interest in open proceedings” and ensure that closure is no broader than necessary to serve that interest. The rules also require the court to consider alternatives to closing the proceedings and “make adequate written findings to support any order of closure.”
When WBIR sought a copy of the order closing the detention hearing, the circuit court clerk’s office told the news outlet that it would not need to issue a written order or disclose any information about the case, including the case number, because the accused is a juvenile. The district attorney general’s office also told WBIR that court records in the case are being kept confidential and are inaccessible to the public.
On behalf of WBIR, Paul McAdoo, the Reporters Committee’s Local Legal Initiative attorney for Tennessee, filed this motion to intervene for the limited purpose of seeking access to proceedings and records in the case, arguing that there is a qualified rule-based and constitutional right of access to juvenile delinquency proceedings.
The motion asked the court to keep future proceedings in the case open to the public, including the press; to unseal the court file in this case; and to provide WBIR and the public with a copy of transcripts for any prior hearings that were improperly closed to the public.
Related: In an article about the case, WBIR noted that it regularly reports on juvenile court matters in other East Tennessee jurisdictions, adding, “it’s in the public’s interest to know about cases when juveniles are accused of violent crimes such as murder.”
Update: On July 17, 2025, the Meigs County Juvenile Court unsealed all of the records and proceedings in the case, with the exception of those related to mental health evaluations. The court also opened future hearings to the public and press and provided WBIR with a video of a previously closed hearing. WBIR used the unsealed records to shed new light on the case, reporting that the 15-year-old girl shot her father in the head while he slept because she was angry that he took away her phone and he was trying to distance her from her boyfriend.
Filings:
2025-07-10: Exhibit A
2025-07-17: Amended protective order sealing file