Tennessee’s drag ban struck down by federal judge
The ruling, released early Saturday morning, found that the bill was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.
The ruling, released early Saturday morning, found that the bill was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.
The D.C. Scorecard tracks a rare crossing of partisan lines among the city’s representatives in Washington on the debt ceiling compromise. They voted along partisan lines on a Republican attempt to stop the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan.
Lee has previously praised the NRA’s efforts to protect the Second Amendment but has since faced opposition from the group as he works to pass gun control legislation.
“This is an effort of a reactionary group of lawmakers to push LGBT people back into the closet,” said attorney Brice Timmons. “We’re talking about pushing people back four decades.”
Traffic is increasing, and the locks and dams have aged far past their life expectancy. They slow barges down, and shippers and commodity groups fear a breakdown on the horizon.
Tennessee’s Medicaid agency expects to cut hundreds of thousands of people over the next year. Find out how to renew your coverage.
But opponents of nuclear energy say harm to the environment and public health — including from mining and nuclear waste — outweigh the benefits of it being a low-carbon energy source.
Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey’s criminal campaign fraud case will not proceed to trial after a Middle Tennessee judge Tuesday rejected his request to withdraw his two guilty pleas.
DCS Commissioner Margie Quin reported that no more children were sleeping in offices and the department has had success hiring since a state government-wide salary overhaul.
The announcement comes more than two weeks after lawmakers concluded their annual session without passing significant gun-safety legislation.
State Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) said the state’s lack of a cap on jet fuel taxes is part of the reason the Memphis International Airport doesn’t have more daily flights.
The deadline for candidates to file in the special election was noon Thursday, May 4. Justin J. Pearson and David Page are in the June Democratic primary.
During a visit to Memphis, Gov. Bill Lee said a special legislative session, likely this summer, will consider several options from him and legislators of both parties.
Tennessee will be getting a new education commissioner this summer, the state Department of Education announced Monday morning.
Among those were two bills introducing blended sentencing for juveniles, two bills creating harsher sentences for adults and one making it easier to transfer kids to adult court.
The DOJ Civil Rights Division argues SB1 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment in part because it “denies necessary medical care to youth based solely on who they are.”
Following his attempt to back out of a plea deal, former state Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) will appear in federal court in Nashville May 16 for an evidentiary hearing in his campaign fraud case.
“It’s just tragic to see what’s happening — in your state in particular,” Biden told state Reps. Justin J. Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson. “There’s nothing guaranteed about democracy. Every generation has to fight for it, and you all are doing just that.”
The General Assembly chose to end this year’s legislative session before Gov. Bill Lee could find someone to sponsor — or even file — his “temporary mental health order of protection” bill.Related story:
The budget includes Lee’s Transportation Modernization Act, a $3.3 billion infusion to the Tennessee Department of Transportation and local governments to build roads and expand highways with voluntary toll lanes.
Lee said his proposal, which expands a law that applies to cases of domestic violence, balances the need to restrict gun access for people deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others with the need to protect the rights of gun owners.
Gov. Lee proposed $100 million for the centers, which provide limited medical care and urge people not to terminate pregnancies. A Daily Memphian analysis found those centers’ revenue was about $20 million in 2020.
Lawmakers put on ice a bill requiring the TBI to test rape kits in 30 days after bureau officials said it would be “exorbitantly expensive” to meet that goal.
A General Assembly bill allowing 18-year-olds to carry guns without permits was pushed to next year, but the state is already treating it as the law under a settlement that ended an age-discrimination lawsuit.