Ian Round is The Daily Memphian’s state government reporter based in Nashville. He came to Tennessee from Maryland, where he reported on local politics for Baltimore Brew. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in December 2019.
There are 432 articles by Ian Round :
Representatives of DC Project, Equity Alliance, Memphis For All, Moms Demand Action and other groups gathered in Nashville leading up to the special session that commenced Monday, Aug. 21.
Justin J. Pearson was sworn into the state House of Representatives for the third time on Monday, Aug. 21, following his April 6 expulsion, quick interim reappointment and subsequent special election victory earlier this month.
Republican Debra Maggart had worked to pass a number of gun bills, but she said the National Rifle Association decided to “annihilate” her in 2012 after she spoke against Tennesseans keeping weapons in their cars while at work.
In the months since Gov. Bill Lee announced he would convene a special session, top lawmakers’ initial openness to a “red flag” law hardened into uncompromising opposition, and the focus of the special session shifted from guns to mental health and tough-on-crime legislation.
The Tennessee Education Association and five state educators including two affiliated with MSCS filed a lawsuit against the 2021 ‘prohibited concepts’ law, banning certain discussion surrounding race and gender in public and charter schools.
Kelsey is now scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 11 at 1 p.m. in federal court in Nashville. Brian Kelsey’s sentencing was delayed again. Here’s a timeline of his legal odyssey.Related story:
Here’s a look back at the timeline that led to former state Sen. Brian Kelsey’s expected sentencing hearing Thursday, July 27, on two campaign-finance felonies.
Gun violence has become a major theme in the Memphis mayoral race. And the Memphis City Council voted to put a referendum on local gun laws before voters next year, setting up a possible clash with the state.
State Reps. Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones both now have more campaign money than any of the Republican lawmakers who expelled them in April.
Tennessee Department of Children’s Services says the Fayette County facility is needed despite reports by Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center of abuse and unsafe conditions at the facility.
Tennessee officials approved just under $718 million to rebuild the state’s technical colleges on Thursday.
A passenger rail route connecting Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta should be Tennessee’s top priority, followed by a Memphis-to-Nashville line, according to a report from an independent state commission.
This weekend’s ruling, allowing SB1 to take effect, isn’t what made gender-affirming care inaccessible for many people. That care had become less accessible in Tennessee — even for trans adults — since the bill was introduced in the General Assembly in November, before the legislative session even began.
Rapidly growing Isaiah 117 House is one of more than two dozen faith-based organizations helping the Department of Children’s Services by providing space for children awaiting placement so they don’t have to sleep on office floors.
The injunction will be in place until the lawsuit runs its course. Supporters of the law say they’re prepared to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court.
A huge number of new state laws take effect July 1, with the start of the 2024 fiscal year. But lawsuits and inaction by lawmakers make the absence of some laws as notable as the presence of others. Mississippi’s new laws cover Medicaid for moms, voting, pecan theft, online porn and more Judges block state law banning teacher group from automatically deducting member duesRelated stories:
Jonathan Skrmetti’s appeal comes nearly a month after a federal judge in Memphis ruled in favor of an LGBTQ+ theater company, which argued the law restricted its performers’ free speech rights.
The Tennessee Attorney General filed an emergency motion asking a federal judge in Nashville to reverse the preliminary injunction, and notified the court that it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming care for minors was mostly blocked Thursday, June 28, the latest in a string of decisions against anti-trans laws in at least four states.
Poll results show wide support for gun-safety legislation in Tennessee’s most populous county — which supplies more Republican votes than any other county — as Gov. Bill Lee attempts to convince state lawmakers of the need to pass gun-safety legislation during a special session.
Three lawsuits in Tennessee are testing the extent to which courts will protect transgender rights against a state legislature and executive branch that have aggressively sought to roll those rights back.
A law that defines “sex” as a person’s gender assigned at birth could cause some residents to lose access to basic services if they can’t update their IDs, according to advocates for trans rights.
Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday the rollout of $194 million in grants to fund armed guards in every public school and security upgrades at all schools.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says staffing, grants and tech upgrades would help it enter backlogged criminal information into the background-check system.
Not since 1920, when the New York State Assembly ousted five representatives for being socialists during the post-World War I Red Scare, had a legislature expelled a member for their views.