Media firms contest Tennessee law creating 25-foot police buffer zones around incidents

In 2025, Gannett and several national media organizations filed a federal suit against Tennessee officials and Nashville police chief John Drake, contending that the Tennessee Bystander Interference Act— which permits officers to establish a 25-foot buffer zone during traffic stops, arrests and other official actions— violates the First Amendment. The law allows arrest and up to six months’ imprisonment or a $500 fine for anyone who disobeys police orders to stay back.

District Judge William Campbell Jr. rejected a request for a preliminary injunction, finding no credible enforcement threat. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit judges questioned whether the statute is unconstitutionally vague and whether reporters have a right to be within 25 feet of an officer handling an armed suspect. Attorneys for the media stressed the lack of clear standards for police orders, while the state argued the rule simply clarifies officer-public interactions without granting new powers. The panel, including Judges Raymond Kethledge, R. Guy Cole Jr., and Andre Mathis, has not set a decision timetable.