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Judge closes hearing to the public over migrant children facility license suspension
WRCBtv ^ | 7/7/2021 | Mary Francis Hoots

Posted on 07/07/2021 11:12:10 PM PDT by Right Wing Vegan

The state revoked their license last week after an employee was charged with sexual battery. The facility appealed the suspension and had a hearing in front of an administrative law judge.

A judge closed a hearing to the public on Wednesday over the license suspension of the migrant children facility in Chattanooga.

The state revoked their license last week after an employee was charged with sexual battery. The facility appealed the suspension and had a hearing in front of an administrative law judge.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) filed two motions just before the hearing started to close the proceeding to media and the public.

Attorney's representing the Baptiste Group, the facility housing migrant children in Chattanooga, argued they did not believe the meeting should be closed.

The judge sided with DCS, citing a Tennessee code that deals with confidentiality of records.

"That Tennessee adjudicated in cases involving allegations of child abuse and neglect will close the proceeding to the public,” said Douglas Diamond, DCS general counsel.

The Baptiste Group's attorney argued the children weren't the focal point of the hearing and it should remain open.

"The proceeding is about the licensure of the Baptiste Group and the summary of suspension of that licensure,” said Mark Baugh, the chief diversion and inclusion officer with Baker Donelson, who is representing the Baptiste Group.

The attorney went on to say DCS already disclosed information in a public hearing.

DCS says the suspension of the license is directly tied to the child abuse allegation and Wednesday's public hearing would risk the confidentiality of the children.

"Inextricably with the fact that our records are in hold. We've had that position from the attorney general's office, not just redactable but they are in hold, confidential, in so far that they pertain to child abuse,” Diamond said.

The administrative law judge, Phillip Hilliard, cited Tennessee Code Annotated 37-5-107 A "Confidentiality of records", pursuant to several other codes, to close the meeting.

"The department's point about the licensure being inextricably tied to the child or children who will receive the services from the department on balance outweigh any right or need for the proceeding to be made open,” Judge Phillip Hilliard said.

Deborah Fisher with the Tennessee Coalition of Open Government believes that within the law, the judge could have still chosen to keep parts of the hearing open and just close the portion when the children are discussed.

"I think anytime we start closing this stuff we start losing transparency, and transparency is one of the issues that has been complained about,” Fisher told us.

Channel 3 reached out to DCS and the attorney's representing the Baptiste Group for details on the hearing after we were asked to leave.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: immigration; philliphilliard

1 posted on 07/07/2021 11:12:10 PM PDT by Right Wing Vegan
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To: Right Wing Vegan

This tide of criminal aliens and their offspring are surely the end of this great nation.

Hordes of these parasites are flooding in here to sponge off our social welfare system while pulling out billions in remittances back to their home countries.

I only hope my wife and I aren’t here anymore when it all collapses.


2 posted on 07/08/2021 12:00:17 AM PDT by jmacusa (America. Founded by geniuses . Now governed by idiots.)
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To: jmacusa

Add in the great Chinese buying spree in America. They’re buying much farmland and mineral rights. Many Covidiocy-closed building going cheap now. We are in great debt to them.

Chinese will own the businesses, and cheap immigrant labor will staff them.


3 posted on 07/08/2021 6:41:41 AM PDT by polymuser (A socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.d)
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To: polymuser
Chinese will own the businesses, and cheap immigrant labor will staff them.

"Dock that whitey a day's pay for nappin' on the job!"

4 posted on 07/08/2021 6:46:03 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: jmacusa

This tide of criminal aliens and their offspring are surely the end of this great nation.

Hordes of these parasites are flooding in here to sponge off our social welfare system while pulling out billions in remittances back to their home countries.

I only hope my wife and I aren’t here anymore when it all collapses.
************************************

Count me into the people-total rejecting the whole concept of free entry into our, “my”, Beloved Country by indigents without knowledge of performing a “job”, criminals, murderers, grifters, robbers, etc. from the south and more southern borders and even Europe and other parts of earth.

The past year with Fauci and the Soros types in fine print, Obamasster, Biden, Kameltoes, Pelosi et al has disgusted me to the point of deciding I will do little or nothing to encourage my continued aging.

Conservatives in general are too dismembered and confused by all of this to form a coherent message of what is and is not acceptable and if the DimDems can’t understand it, then the conservatives must go their own way and reform this beautiful country with emphasis on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Frankly, if I never meet another dimdem I won’t care. And I will do all I can to help the conservatives once they have a coherent plan.


5 posted on 07/08/2021 8:23:29 AM PDT by Bodega (Ready to secede now before it's too late.)
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To: dfwgator

“You’re all lollying gaggin’ around like it’s a hundert an’ twenty!’’. “Can’t be more an’ a hundert an’ fourteen!’’


6 posted on 07/08/2021 9:43:34 AM PDT by jmacusa (America. Founded by geniuses . Now governed by idiots.)
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To: polymuser

You’re right. And I believe Bill Gates is help the Chi Coms to buy up all that open land.


7 posted on 07/08/2021 9:44:16 AM PDT by jmacusa (America. Founded by geniuses . Now governed by idiots.)
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To: Bodega

Conservatives are too nice to play rough with the Dems. Or too complicit.

I can’t stand the flood of immigrants we’re taking in, year after a year. We take in a million a year. No nation can survive that kind of influx.

We need to go back to pre-1965 levels of immigration, 300,000 a year.

But that will never happen. This nation is soon to be consigned to the ash heap of history.

Turning us into an unassimilated boarding house for the Third World is the last nail in the coffin.


8 posted on 07/08/2021 9:48:42 AM PDT by jmacusa (America. Founded by geniuses . Now governed by idiots.)
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To: Bodega; dfwgator; wardaddy; fieldmarshaldj

I’m too familiar with Tennessee’s handling of children having spent six years in their orphanage (long closed down being politically incorrect). The state shopped them all out to insufficiently scouted foster homes and immediately lost track of about a fourth of them. I came out strong but Lord, so many of those kids were so messed up. I hope some prosecutions come out of this despite those kids not belonging here. Right is right and wrong needs correction.


9 posted on 07/08/2021 10:46:44 AM PDT by MikelTackNailer (The true President is in Florida resting up for the first legal Third Term since FDR.)
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To: MikelTackNailer

Yes orphanage usually Trumps foster care


10 posted on 07/08/2021 3:56:40 PM PDT by wardaddy (Girls...in the end ....it's about them )
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To: jmacusa

jmacusa remember one thing Mid-Terms...if you have a Democratic Senator, vote in a new Republican to fill his seat.


11 posted on 07/08/2021 4:07:49 PM PDT by yoe (Follow the money on Covid or for Covid...)
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To: wardaddy

Yoe is so right. But vote in better people, not just on labels. Too many evil people tearing down our nation hiding behind labels. Evil people suck.


12 posted on 07/08/2021 7:55:19 PM PDT by MikelTackNailer (Fortunately despite aging I've been spared the ravages of maturity.)
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To: yoe

Will do.


13 posted on 07/08/2021 10:07:52 PM PDT by jmacusa (America. Founded by geniuses . Now governed by idiots.)
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