TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on May 27, 2021

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday signed into law legislation that creates a three-judge panel to hear constitutional challenges to state laws, executive orders, regulations and legislative redistricting cases, the Times Free Press reports. Chattanooga attorney Lee Davis told the paper he believes the law is unconstitutional and violates the separation of powers. He also predicts a “real problem” in provisions regarding likely challenges to legislative reapportionment and redistricting in 2022. Davis says that before judicial panels are allowed to render a ruling that a redistricting plan does not meet legal requirements, the new law will require the panel to bring the problem to the legislature to correct, which, he says, is unconstitutional. The new law goes into effect on July 1.