Franklin alderman's controversial Covenant comments spur new First Amendment debate

A Franklin alderman is facing an investigation and calls for resignation following her controversial comments on a podcast regarding the mass shooting at The Covenant School, adding another First Amendment debate to the fraught political landscape in the aftermath of the worst school shooting in state history.

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Alderman Gabrielle Hanson, who has held her seat since late 2021, was featured on the local conservative podcast Mill Creek View Tennessee hosted by Steve Abramowicz on April 18 where she stated a number of unfounded theories regarding the motive behind the shooting, which left three adults and three children dead.

After her comments went viral, calls for her resignation began flooding in. Currently, dozens of complaints have been filed against her, and fellow aldermen as well as a school board member have called for her resignation — prompting questions over an elected leader’s First Amendment rights to speak out.

Hanson made the podcast appearance to primarily discuss recent upheaval in the city regarding the permitting process for Franklin Pride. But as the interview continued, she went on to describe a premonition that she received in March that told her a shooting was about to occur.

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"I just felt it...It could be a holy spirit thing,” she said, adding that within 30 minutes of the tragedy she “had the whole story” of Hale’s supposed motive — which, according to her, was a love triangle with the principal’s daughter.

Hanson did not provide proof for her statements, nor did she return a request for comment from The Tennessean on the matter. Metro Police have said the theory is false.

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Despite the emotional turbulence caused by Hanson’s comments — and the public's consternation of hearing such misinformation from an elected official — Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said Hanson has every right to say such things.

“If ordinary citizens are calling for her resignation because they disapprove of the things she said, that's their First Amendment right to do so,” Terr said. ”But I think where the First Amendment concerns come in is with the city pursuing an investigation into her, based on the comments that she made. An ethics commission should not be investigating elected officials simply because they expressed views that some people found offensive or inaccurate.”

Terr said First Amendment allows Hanson to say such things but it does not allow her to escape the consequences.

“The First Amendment protects that type of expression,” he said. “And I would say on top of that, that a government response to protected speech is undemocratic. Let the people decide whether to punish the alderman at the polls. We already have a way for the public to remove elected officials from office because of disagreement with their views or positions. It's called voting.”

The controversy over Hanson’s comments joins a growing list First Amendment debates underway in Tennessee since the tragic March shooting.

Hanson’s comments, though, differ from another high-profile First Amendment debate — the expulsion of two Democratic lawmakers from the state House. The two — Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Justin Pearson, D-Memphis — broke House rules in late March to lead a gun reform protest from the chamber's floor.

Although the lawmakers have pointed to their First Amendment rights, House Republicans technically expelled them for breaking decorum, not because of the content of their speech.

Hanson is potentially facing consequences for the content of her speech given on her own time.

Terr said a punishment based on her expression could cause a chilling effect.

“The First Amendment would still protect elected officials’ right to speak and to voice their own opinions — in fact that that's essential to a democracy,” he said. “We want to know what our elected representatives actually think and believe about issues of concern to the public. And I think this type of investigation actually risks creating a harmful chilling effect on speech.”

Knowing what your elected officials think is invaluable—even if you don’t like it, Terr said.

“We want our elected officials to speak openly and candidly about their views—it's the only way for us to make an informed decision about who we're going to vote for,” he said.

Community pushback swift

In the weeks since she made her comments, pressure has mounted on Hanson. As of Monday, the city had received nearly 60 complaints.

Residents have 30 days from the April 18 incident to file an ethics complaint. The alderman has 30 days to respond. The city's ethics committee will hold a public hearing within 60 days, which is June 20, at 5 p.m. at Franklin City Hall.

Hanson is also up for reelection in October.

Franklin resident and activist Jared Sullivan spoke passionately against her at an April 25 Board of Alderman meeting, calling for her immediate resignation.

Go deeper: Franklin official's false Covenant shooting theories prompts calls for resignation

“We are a sane, civil community and Hanson has demonstrated herself to be anything but,” he said, pointing to Hanson. “Instead she has openly promoted conspiracy theories and refused to own up to her mistakes when confronted by fact. She is unhinged and unfit to serve this community.”

After her comments went viral, she appeared on a radio show with Matt Murphy of SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, where Murphy said "Franklin ought to be looking for a new alderman" because of the comments.

“The citizens of Franklin ought to be looking for a new alderman –You can do better than that…Not only is it irresponsible, it’s gross,” he said.

“I found it impossible to believe she had been ‘told’ by someone 30 minutes after the fact the entire backstory of what she claims happened,” Murphy told The Tennessean. “She was also repeating gossip that had been debunked weeks ago.

The USA Today Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.

Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Franklin alderman's Covenant comments spur new First Amendment debate