Tennessee

Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers. Governor Bill Lee signed SB 1, a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, which the Supreme Court upheld 6-3. The 2026 session produced an immigration enforcement package written with Stephen Miller and expanded a $300 million voucher program whose new seats mostly went to higher-income families. It also eliminated the state’s only majority-Black congressional district.

Speaker Cameron Sexton then stripped all 24 House Democrats of committee assignments for protesting the gerrymander.

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The Skrmetti Ruling on Tennessee’s Care Ban

On June 18, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in United States v. Skrmetti to uphold Tennessee’s SB 1, which bans puberty blockers and hormone therapy for treating gender dysphoria in minors. The same medications remain legal for other uses. A child can receive puberty blockers to delay early puberty. They cannot receive the same drug to treat gender dysphoria.

The majority applied rational basis review and declined heightened scrutiny, holding the law did not classify based on sex.

Sotomayor’s dissent, joined by Jackson, laid out the contradiction plainly. “Male (but not female) adolescents can receive medicines that help them look like boys, and female (but not male) adolescents can receive medicines that help them look like girls.” She warned the ruling “does irrevocable damage to the Equal Protection Clause and invites legislatures to engage in discrimination by hiding blatant sex classifications in plain sight.”

23 states had similar bans in place when the ruling came down, leaving a patchwork intact

The ACLU is now tracking 36 anti-LGBTQ bills in the 2026 Tennessee legislature alone. SB 936 requires all state and local governments to define sex as an “immutable” characteristic determined at birth. HB 884 classifies any venue that hosts one drag show per year as an “adult-oriented business,” banning it within 1,000 feet of parks, schools, churches, and residences. It passed the House 73-24.

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Tennessee’s 2026 Immigration Laws

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and White House adviser Stephen Miller met in late 2025 and early 2026 to draft what Republicans branded the “Immigration 2026” agenda. More than a dozen bills passed. Republican leaders call it a national model for state-level immigration enforcement.

A bill requiring schools to verify the immigration status of every student passed the House but failed in the Senate. Estimates put the cost of tracking 963,000 students at $55 million.

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Who Uses Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarships

Governor Lee expanded the Education Freedom Scholarships program from 20,000 students to 35,000 for 2026-27, requesting $155 million in new funding. Total program cost now exceeds $300 million, roughly one-third of the state’s expected education funding increase.

House Majority Leader William Lamberth said the average income of this year’s voucher recipients was $96,000, citing Department of Education data. One quarter of new vouchers went to the lowest-income families. The majority went to Priority 3 families, who can earn up to $173,160 for a family of four.

The state also rolled back testing requirements for voucher students in the program’s early years. The Senate passed the expansion 18-14, a smaller margin than the original 2025 vote. The House passed it by just two votes more than constitutionally required.

Lowest in the nation Tennessee’s per-pupil public school spending dropped to last place among all 50 states

Metro Nashville Public Schools estimated that expanding the separate Education Savings Account program could cut its funding by $9-11 million a year. “We’re concerned long term that this is taking money from students with the greatest needs,” Jenny Mills McFerron of EdTrust-Tennessee told the Nashville Banner.

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Tennessee Eliminated Its Only Majority-Black Congressional District

Governor Lee called a special session on May 1, 2026. By May 7, the legislature had passed a new congressional map that carves Memphis’s 9th district into three Republican-leaning districts stretching hundreds of miles east. The 9th was the state’s only majority-Black, only Democratic congressional seat. Lee signed the map the same day.

The NAACP sued hours after the signing.

Speaker Sexton then stripped Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and all 24 House Democrats of their committee assignments for protesting the gerrymander during the special session. Democrats had interlocked arms and blocked aisles on the House floor.

This is the second time Jones and Pearson have faced retaliation. In April 2023, both were expelled from the House for participating in a gun control protest. Jones was expelled 72-25, Pearson 69-26. White colleague Gloria Johnson survived by one vote. Both won special elections and returned to their seats.

Rep. Gabby Salinas of Memphis said she has “zero regrets.” Jones called the stripping “the same pattern of racial discrimination and authoritarian abuse we have come to expect.”

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Every Sheriff in Tennessee Must Partner With ICE or Lose Funding

HB 2219 requires all 95 county sheriffs to enroll in the federal 287(g) program by January 1, 2027. Any sheriff who refuses loses state funding. Governor Lee signed it on May 26, 2026 (Public Chapter 1015).

The most common model is Warrant Service Officer, which allows corrections officers to serve ICE warrants on people already in jail. Before 287(g), local law enforcement had to release an immigrant from custody before ICE could serve the warrant.

This is the compliance layer for the broader Immigration 2026 agenda. The state crimes bills make it illegal to remain in Tennessee after a deportation order. The sheriff mandate ensures local jails become the enforcement pipeline.

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The Charlie Kirk Act and Tennessee Campuses

Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder, was assassinated on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University by a sniper during a campus event. The shooter, Tyler James Robinson, 22, was charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Tennessee named two laws after Kirk. Governor Lee signed both.

Critics said the Heritage Act presents one side of history. “My concern with this is that it specifies the positive impacts of religion, which is not a balanced view of history,” state Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) said during floor debate.

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What Comes Next in Tennessee

The redistricting lawsuit filed by the NAACP will determine whether the 9th district map survives for the 2026 midterms. The 287(g) mandate takes effect January 1, 2027, and counties that refuse face immediate funding cuts.

The voucher program’s second year of enrollment begins fall 2026. If demand holds at 54,000+ applicants for 35,000 seats, the legislature will face pressure to expand again in 2027, competing directly with the lowest per-pupil public school spending in the country.

With Skrmetti removing the constitutional guardrail, the 2027 session will test how far the supermajority is willing to go.

What You Can Do in Tennessee

1. Check your voter registration. Verify your status at GoVoteTN.com. The new congressional maps will affect your district for 2026 and beyond.

2. Know your rights at school. Tennessee schools cannot require proof of immigration status for enrollment. The bill that would have mandated tracking failed in the Senate. If your school asks, contact TIRRC.

3. Attend your local school board meeting. Voucher implementation decisions are made at the district level. Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville districts are projecting multi-million-dollar funding losses. Your board needs to hear from parents before fall enrollment begins.

4. Call the governor’s office. 615-741-2001. Ask why the voucher program is sending most of its money to families earning above the state median income.

5. Document interactions with law enforcement. If you or someone you know is stopped and asked about immigration status, note the officer’s name, badge number, and agency. Contact the ACLU of Tennessee to report.