TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Sep 8, 2025

Immigration policies promoted by Tennessee lawmakers this year have faced setbacks since the legislature recessed in April, the Nashville Banner reports. In the latest news, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced last week that his office will not defend a provision threatening local elected officials with felony charges if they vote in favor of sanctuary city policies. Skrmetti called it legally indefensible. The ACLU of Tennessee sued the state over the law. News reports from a few weeks ago indicated that the state might be open to a settlement with the group. House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, who sponsored the bill that included the provision, said he trusts Skrmetti’s judgment but noted that the rest of the law will remain intact, even if the provision is ruled unconstitutional, due to a severability clause in the law.