NASHVILLE (AP) — A judge has ordered the state of Tennessee to pay more than $46,000 in legal fees to a white nationalist group it unsuccessfully tried to charge for event security costs.
The Tennessean reports the Tuesday ruling approved a large portion of the original $56,000 in legal fee reimbursement requested by the New Century Foundation. The group has hosted its annual conference at the same state facility for years and challenged a new rule last year that required it pay for law enforcement and related damage.
Its founder, Samuel Jared Taylor, sued the Department of Environment and Conservation Director Michael Robertson in September, arguing it was an "unconstitutional security fee." A judge sided with the group later that year, citing First Amendment rights.