The debate over whether to release the manifesto of Audrey Hale, the trans woman who committed the March 27 shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, continues to cause controversy.
An unredacted copy of the manifesto was delivered to a judge for review, along with proposed redactions. However, The Covenant School’s legal team filed a motion to halt the release, arguing that it could impede its ability to protect its interests and the privacy of its employees and students, WZTV reported.
The motion was granted, allowing the judge to hear arguments on whether the full, unredacted document should be made public, with a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Six people were killed in the shooting, including three school staff and three children. Hale, a former student at the school who identified as transgender, left behind a suicide note, map, and journals that referred to other school shootings, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
The debate over releasing the writings has largely fallen along political lines, with Tennessee GOP lawmakers and police groups calling for their release to understand the behavior and motives of the perpetrator, while Democratic legislators remain focused on seeking gun-control legislation in response to the shooting.
LGBTQ groups have also opposed the release, arguing it could inspire copycat incidents.
