According to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, the state will not appeal the decision by a three judge panel to block the state law that would shrink the Metro Council in half.

The judges ruled that the law would cause “irreparable harm” to the election process that is already underway.

Skrmetti says that he believes that the law will still take place for the next council election cycle.

“Clarity about the law is important, both now and in the years to come,” Skrmetti said. “While the Court did enjoin the short-term, transitional provisions of the new law in Davidson County, the result of this litigation to date is that the cap on the size of metropolitan councils has been delayed but not been defeated.”

However, Metro Law Director Wally Ditz said: “A unanimous three judge panel ruled that the provision of the law mandating the reduction this year violates the Home Rule Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution. The cap itself is unlawful and should not apply in the future for the reasons we cited in our brief and reasons we have yet to present to the Court. We intend to make our case to the panel and again express our appreciation to the court for its prompt attention to this urgent situation.”