As the legal fight over the release of the Covenant School shooter’s writings continues, The Tennessee Star’s lead reporter, Tom Pappert, is sharply criticizing one of the central arguments raised in the latest appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, focusing on claims that the materials are protected by copyright.
Speaking during Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Pappert argued that the effort by Metro Nashville, Covenant-associated parties, and intervening parents to block further disclosure based on copyright claims is fundamentally flawed, especially given that many of the documents are already publicly available.
“It’s absurd to me that they think that only pursuing their copyright claims in Tennessee courts is going to fly,” Pappert said.
At the heart of his criticism is what he described as a contradiction between the legal argument and reality.
While attorneys for the intervenors claim the writings are protected intellectual property that should not be released under the Tennessee Public Records Act, Pappert pointed out that a large portion of those same materials has already been distributed by the federal government.
“Everybody listening could go to [the FBI’s website] and you can read over a thousand pages of the covenant killer’s writings,” he said, emphasizing that the materials are not confined to private records but are already accessible nationwide.
Pappert argued this widespread availability undermines any serious attempt to enforce copyright protections.
“These lawyers… have done nothing to protect this copyright claim… as their copyrighted materials, or so they assert, have been spread nationwide, not just by news reporters, but by the federal government,” he said.
Pappert further noted key steps typically required to enforce copyright, such as registration and active legal enforcement, have not been taken. “
“They haven’t registered, they haven’t sought to enforce it… they haven’t done anything except come up with this legal theory in state court,” he stressed.
According to Pappert, the decision to focus on Tennessee courts is particularly questionable, given that copyright law is governed at the federal level. By limiting their legal strategy to state court proceedings, he suggested, the intervenors are pursuing an argument that may not withstand broader legal scrutiny.
The copyright claim is one of several arguments presented in an 82-page filing asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to overturn a February appellate court ruling that favored releasing the records.
While the filing also invokes victims’ rights protections, Pappert said the copyright issue stands out as especially weak.
“It’s absurd,” he said.
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— Michael Patrick Leahy (@michaelpleahy) April 6, 2026
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
