Tyler Foster, a University of Memphis law student and Memphis resident, said the city produced approximately 15,000 pages of MPD disciplinary records following a suit he filed. “This litigation accomplished its central objective: the city was found to have willfully violated Tennessee’s public records law, and approximately 15,000 pages of police disciplinary records have now been disclosed,” Foster said.
On Thursday, the Shelby County Chancery Court heard a case to decide if the city violated state public records laws regarding a No Kings Day protest in March. Foster’s lawsuit raised concerns about how the city handled requests for MPD’s disciplinary records.
An October 2025 hearing resulted in the city producing 3,500 pages of MPD records. According to a statement from Foster in April, 2026, the court found that the city violated state public record laws by making it harder to access documents. The court asked the city to comply with the Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA). Shortly after this decision, Foster asked for more records — specifically those pertaining to officers involved in the March 28th No Kings Day protest.
During Thursday’s hearing, the court upheld that the city violated the TPRA, and they would clarify how the city should move forward. Though they did not decide if the city violated TPRA with the newer requests, Foster said the city could be investigated in a separate case. He added that he will not pursue a new case, as the city has produced “all of the records at issue.”
“This case has always been about transparency and accountability,” Foster said. “The public has a right to know how its government operates, particularly when the records concern disciplinary histories of police officers entrusted with extraordinary authority.”
