Despite admitting he is a convicted felon, former state Sen. Brian Kelsey is trying to avoid reporting to prison by Oct. 1 as he appeals a 21-month term for breaking federal campaign finance laws. Kelsey, formerly a Germantown Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed a…
Read MoreOne month for some, two years for others, and everything in between describes the timeline for Memphis mayoral candidates on the campaign trail. There have been pretty pink suits and orange-tinted shades. There’s been shade throwing and name calling. There have been call outs and no shows. There…
Read MoreState lawyers are seeking to dismiss a legal challenge to a Tennessee House of Representatives rule banning protest signs at the Legislature, arguing that since the rules applied only to a special session that has now ended the case is moot. “The special session has now adjourned,” the…
Read MoreIt took House Republicans less than 10 minutes to pass four bills after Democrats walked off the floor protesting the silencing of Rep. Justin Jones for the second time in five months. As Jones, D-Nashville, and his 23 colleagues walked off the floor, the sounds of boos and…
Read MoreA bid by the Sumner County Commission to transfer ownership of a historic log cabin into private hands must first gain state approval, the Tennessee Historical Commission concluded last week. Located on five acres of public lands, the 19th-century cabin known as the Bridal House became an unlikely…
Read MoreA special session of the General Assembly designed to improve public safety in the wake of the Covenant School mass shooting wrapped up with violence and anger. The House and Senate agreed to spend $110 million on an array of safety measures. But pushing, shoving and shouting ensued…
Read MoreIn 2019, the year Gov. Bill Lee took office, Tennessee law enforcement made more than 20,000 juvenile arrests. By last year, that number had fallen about a third to 14,000, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation data. Some leaders might tout those numbers as evidence of an effective…
Read MoreHouse Democrats walked out of the chamber in protest Monday after their Republican colleagues voted to stop Rep. Justin Jones from commenting on legislation. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, ruled Jones, D-Nashville, was “off-topic” on two occasions, allowing the Republican supermajority to block him from commenting on any…
Read MoreDavidson County Chancery Court Judge Anne Martin has ruled that the holding of small signs in House of Representatives’ galleries and committee meeting rooms is protected by the First Amendment. “Although the Court appreciates the General Assembly’s desire to maintain decorum and prevent disruptions in it’s proceedings, the…
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