First Amendment defenders on Wednesday applauded a judge’s ruling that temporarily blocked Tennessee Capitol rules approved by state House Republicans, which earlier this week were used to remove gun control advocates from a subcommittee hearing. The ruling was handed down by Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin hours after the ACLU …
Read More »Civil Rights Groups File Federal Suit Over Tennessee’s 2022 Redistricting Plan
Holly McCall, Tennessee Lookout A coalition of civil rights and civic organizations has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Tennessee’s 2022 redistricting plan violates the 14th and 15th amendments of the U.S. Constitution and the rights of Black voters. Filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on …
Read More »Federal Judge Overturns Tennessee’s Ban On Drag Shows
Holly McCall, Tennessee Lookout Late Friday, a federal judge overturned a new Tennessee law prohibiting drag performances in public spaces, ruling it unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker ruled the Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) violates the separation-of-state principle and chills speech protected through the First Amendment. In March, Friends of …
Read More »Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Signs Law Carving Out Narrow Exceptions To State’s Abortion Ban
Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout Eight months after Tennessee enacted one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, Gov. Bill Lee on Friday quietly signed a law providing narrow exceptions. The new law, which went into effect immediately, allows physicians to perform abortions in limited medical emergencies: molar or ectopic …
Read More »Tennessee Governor To Call Special Session After Legislature Adjourns Without Passing Gun Restrictions
Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout Gov. Bill Lee will call a special session to tackle gun reform after the Tennessee Legislature adjourned for the year Friday night without tackling gun reform nearly a month after a mass shooting at a Nashville private school. The governor said Friday night he made the …
Read More »After National Spotlight, Here’s What Hasn’t Changed In Tennessee — And What Might
Daja E. Henry Originally published by The 19th As the dust settles in Tennessee after the past few weeks, there have been allusions to change. But still, much remains the same. There was a mass school shooting in Nashville, a protest over gun violence that left two Black lawmakers expelled …
Read More »Shelby County Commission Reappoints Justin Pearson To State House Seat, Days After Expulsion
Adam Friedman, Tennessee Lookout The Shelby County Commission voted unanimously to reappoint Justin Pearson to the state House seat Republicans expelled him from six days ago. House Republicans kicked out Pearson, D-Memphis, and Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, for violating the chamber’s rules on decorum when the two men took over …
Read More »Metro Nashville Council Reappoints Justin Jones To Seat He Was Expelled From Just Four Days Ago
Adam Friedman, Tennessee Lookout The Metro Nashville Council voted unanimously to send former Rep. Justin Jones back to the Tennessee House, moments before he was sworn in Monday among a huge crowd on the steps of the State Capitol and returned to the House floor by about 5:30. “I want …
Read More »‘We will not be defeated’: VP Kamala Harris Stands With Expelled Representatives In Nashville
Daja E. Henry Originally published by The 19th A day after Tennessee Democratic representatives Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones were expelled from the state legislature, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Jones’ alma mater — Fisk University, a historically Black institution — delivering a message of praise for the …
Read More »We Are ‘Just Beginning,’ Tennessee GOP Boasts in Fundraiser After Expelling Democrats
Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams The Tennessee Republican Party waited less than 24 hours to start fundraising off the expulsion of two progressive lawmakers from the state House—openly bragging Friday about what critics have called a blatantly anti-democratic move that shows the party’s growing authoritarianism. State Reps. Justin Jones (D-52) and …
Read More »Ousted Tennessee Lawmaker Justin Jones Vows to Keep Fighting for Gun Control
Justin Jones, the Democratic Tennessee lawmaker who was expelled from the state Legislature on Thursday, said he was trying to protect all children from the scourge of gun violence—including the children of the Republican colleagues who subsequently voted to oust him—while vowing to keep fighting for gun control. Addressing the …
Read More »Tennessee House Republicans Move To Expel Three Democrats Over Floor Protests
Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout Republican lawmakers sponsored resolutions Monday to expel three Democrats who led a protest on the House floor last week as hundreds of people rallied outside the chamber for tighter gun laws before the session devolved into a fracas. The bills are aimed at state Reps. Justin …
Read More »‘We’re Not Gonna Fix It,’ Says GOP Congressman After Nashville Mass Shooting
U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett was accused of saying “the quiet part out loud” after the Tennessee Republican responded to the massacre in Nashville on Monday by arguing there’s not much Congress can do to prevent mass shootings. Speaking to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol Monday afternoon following the murder of …
Read More »3 Kids, 3 Adults Killed In Shooting At Nashville Private Elementary School
Lookout Staff, Tennessee Lookout Three children and three adult staff members are dead after a mass shooting event Monday at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood. Among the victims are three 9-year-old children: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney. The adult victims are …
Read More »Why Tennessee’s Law Limiting Drag Performances Likely Violates The First Amendment
Mark Satta, Wayne State University On March 2, 2023, Tennessee became the first state to enact a law restricting drag performances. This law is part of a larger push by Republican lawmakers in numerous states to restrict or eliminate events like drag shows and drag story hours. These legislative efforts …
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