After Casey Moreland Accusations, Nashville DA Reviewing Judicial Influence

NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville's district attorney vowed he will investigate judges who attempt to influence police officers in the wake of allegations that embattled former General Sessions judge Casey Moreland intervened in a traffic stop involving his lover.

District Attorney-General Glenn Funk issued a statement saying that allegations of judicial interference will be thoroughly investigated by his office. Funk's pledge comes weeks after Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson said he would not discipline officers who let Moreland's lover, Natalie Amos, go free after a traffic stop for failure to wear a seatbelt. The patrol officer discovered Amos' driver's license had been revoked, but then received a call from Moreland himself asking she be let go, though she was arrestable for the offense,.

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Anderson said the officers were acting in good faith.

"Our officers are taught to defer to the wisdom of the judges and follow orders unless it’s immoral or illegal. We want them to do that," Anderson told The Tennessean last week.. "The public expectation and the expectation of our officers is that judges are truthful and they’re credible."

Be that as it may, Funk said Moreland's alleged intervention never should have happened.

"No judge should ever call a Metro officer in the middle of a traffic stop and instruct the officer not to issue a citation or make an arrest," he said in a statement. "Any instances of such conduct which are referred to this office will be fully investigated.”

Following Anderson's interview with The Tennessean, multiple city leaders — including Mayor Megan Barry and Vice-Mayor David Briley — said the chief's statement created a bad precedent. MNPD has asserted that Moreland's move was extraordinarily rare, though investigators didn't speak to the officers involved in the Amos stop for months following the 2016 traffic stop and it's unclear how the department would even find out about such moves.